Twists and Turns
by FriendsLovers
Summary: Parker and Eliot have to handle an interesting, new challenge. - Eliot/Parker
1. Twists and Turns

**Title:** Twists and Turns  
**Summary:** It's the team's job to take care of Maggie, but very soon, it's her skills that are needed.  
**Characters:** Parker, Eliot, Maggie  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** This is a oneshot, at least for now. I might continue the story after I completed one of the others. Thanks to akblake for discussing the idea with me a little. I hope you like the way it turned out. To everyone else: happy reading! :)

* * *

Maggie Collins should have expected that after meeting Nate and his new team for the first time, said meeting wouldn't be their last. Of course, even though she wouldn't openly admit it, she was glad they had helped her out not even a year later, when she had been lured into a trap, knowing very well that she didn't have many options to get out again.

Oh yes, Maggie hadn't forgotten said job in Kiev. It still made her shudder, for various reasons. Maggie had stopped asking herself why she had kissed Nate in the elevator. What had Parker said? The first bomb was always the worst. That was a very true statement, and most likely to blame for her unexpected reaction.

After all, the team's plan had worked perfectly well, even though Nate hadn't been the one in control for half of the time. She couldn't deny she was grateful that they had all come to help her, had gotten her out jail, hadn't just made sure she wouldn't be safe, but that her name would be cleared, too.

But, of course, Maggie should have been prepared that somewhere along, she would meet those lovely, even though complicated and after all criminal, people again. The fact that, once again, it was her in danger, her in need of help didn't really make it a pleasuring reunion though.

Maggie could only shake her head at this fact. As an art expert, one obviously was constantly in danger of messing with the wrong people, even though that had never been her intention at all. She was an honest woman, just wanting to do her job.

Now a whole gang of bad guys was after her, simply because she had figured out that a man was presenting faked paintings to the public. Whatever she did, it was obviously wrong. Mentally, Maggie rolled her eyes. By now, she called herself lucky to know this group of thieves, who had immediately jumped in to help her.

Sighing softly, Maggie turned to the woman, who had been put by her side for protection. Said woman hadn't been too pleased that she was supposed to play the role of the protector, as currently, this simply meant being stuck in a hotel room. Or in the hotel's small café, where Maggie had taken Parker to just a few minutes ago.

The woman was a thief after all. She wanted to steal, wanted to break into something and jump off buildings. Just the plain idea of doing all this, or just one of these things, made Maggie shudder. Doing Sophie's job? Fine, that wasn't too hard, even though Maggie would of course never admit that. But Parker's? She would never understand how the thief could enjoy it so much.

This time, her skills were needed in a different area, although Maggie was convinced that the fact that Parker obviously wasn't feeling well was the main reason for her having to stay with their well known client.

Parker, being a stubborn woman, was firmly refusing to admit that she wasn't well. Studying her for minutes now, Maggie knew that wasn't true though. The thief was unnaturally pale, hadn't tried anything of the cake she had ordered, or of her coffee. Instead, she had her hands firmly pressed onto her stomach, making a rather uncomfortable face.

"Are you sure you're okay, Parker?" Maggie asked then. "We can just go upstairs again. It's perfectly fine."

"No." Parker shook her head. "You said you want to sit in the café and enjoy the sun, and that's what we'll do. I'm...fine." She took a deep breath, which obviously didn't work.

Maggie sighed again. "Parker, I know I'm not Sophie, and you probably don't trust in me..."

"I never said that!" the younger woman interrupted her.

"Fine." Maggie offered a soft smile. "Then if you trust in me...why don't you tell me what's bothering you? You see the shop over there? They sell all kind of medicine. We could get you some that'll make you feel better."

"I don't like medicine." Parker made a disgusted face.

"Okay," Maggie replied. "That means you'd rather like to throw up onto your cake instead?" She resisted the urge to chuckle at the thief's shocked look. Parker could be too adorable at times. "Tell me what's wrong. I might know what you can do." She paused for a moment before she added, "Hey, maybe you don't even have to be stuck in here with me anymore if you can convince the others you're better."

This seemed to work. It was Parker's turn to sigh. "My stomach's upset," she explained. "For quite a while already, which is odd, because if you eat something wrong, you throw up for a few days and it's okay again. But this...it just keeps on returning. Especially in the morning. It's so annoying! I mean, I get hungry, want to eat, but everything smells so funny and I have to throw up. Or just for no reason at all. And then, as if that wasn't worse enough, I'm constantly sleepy. Like...I could just fall asleep right now. Out here. Can you believe that?" She shook her head. "I just feel so...uncomfortable lately. And sometimes, I just want to sit down and cry for no reason. You know any medicine that can make that stop? And no pills. I don't take pills. Counts for happy pills, too."

Maggie nodded slowly. In silence, she studied the woman in front of her. She had a clear idea of what was bothering her, but Parker didn't seem to have a clue at all. If she was indeed right, this conversation would turn out to be interesting, and she didn't dare to imagine what it would lead to.

"Parker," she decided to ask eventually. "May I ask you a personal question?" At the nod she received in return, she added, "When did you have your period for the last time?"

Parker, not at all bothered by the question, thought about it for a moment. "Oh," she said surprised. "That was quite a bit ago actually. I think...two months ago or so. Must have missed it. I didn't even realise."

"No surprise, you guys are pretty busy," Maggie said, starting to feel a little uncomfortable herself.

"Why does it matter though?" Parker wanted to know.

Maggie took a deep breath. "Parker...I know what you're going through right now, because I was dealing with that myself quite a while ago," she eventually said. "When I was pregnant."

Parker nodded. Then, as realisation hit her, her eyes widened in shock. "Oh! No...no, that's not what's wrong with me. Surely not. No! There's surely something else when you feel just the same way. Right, Maggie?"

That Parker wouldn't be pleased was something Maggie had been prepared for. That she would look downright afraid was more than she had expected. The young woman was edging a panic attack obviously, and Maggie could only imagine what a person like her would do if emotions took over. Reaching out, she gently, yet firmly, grabbed Parker's hand.

"It's alright, calm down again," she said softly. "I didn't say you are pregnant. I can't know that just from talking to you. But expecting a baby is definitely an option. It's nothing to be scared of though."

"Oh, you have no idea!" Parker shook her head, looking like she would jump up and run every second. She appeared like a cornered animal, unsure whether to strike back or flee.

Maggie sighed again. No, she really had no idea what a pregnancy would mean to Parker, especially as she had absolutely no idea who could have gotten her pregnant in the first place. Was she someone who went for one-night-stands? Or was she in a relationship? In Parker's case, a pregnancy could indeed be a nightmare, as it would definitely interfere with the job she loved so much. Depending on her own view at having children and on the identity of the baby's father, things could get even more complicated.

"Listen," she decided to say then. "There's only one way to find out. We'll quickly get into that shop and buy you a pregnancy test..."

"We can't!" Parker interrupted her. "Hardison keeps on checking all the security cameras! If he sees we're going in there and what we're buying...everyone'll know!"

Understanding the woman's point of view, Maggie reached for the earbuds, which both had taken out before they had settled down at one of the small café's tables. A few minutes of not having to listen to all those voices had seemed to be like a vacation. Putting her own one in, she was instantly greeted by the now familiar sound. Quickly, she took it out again.

"They're busy with something else," she reported. "From what I heard, Hardison's supposed to find something out for them, so I doubt he's checking the cameras right now. If we're fast, we can get in and out without either of them even noticing we left the café."

Parker looked surprised. "You're starting to think like us more and more," she said impressed.

Maggie couldn't help but smile. There would have been a time when such a statement would have offended her. After all, she was an honest woman. By now, she couldn't deny there was something about a little grifting here and a little game playing there that was rather fascinating.

"Yes," she replied. "And that's why my plan is going to work."

Parker hesitated. "But what if I don't want to know..."

"You have to find out whether or not you're pregnant," Maggie told her. "It's nothing you can deny or ignore anyway."

"But..." she started again.

Maggie shook her head. "No buts, Parker. Everything's going to be okay. For now, all that matters is that we're trying to find out if you're really expecting a baby. If not, fine. If yes, we can figure out what to do next. Together. Alright?"

Parker nodded slowly. "You're treating me like a friend," she said quietly. "Almost as if we were friends."

"Oh, Parker." The young woman's words warmed Maggie's heart. "I doubt I just sound like one. I think it's safe to say we are friends by now, aren't we?"

Parker seemed to like the idea and, much to Maggie's relief, finally agreed to get up and head over to the near store.

* * *

Indeed, Maggie's plan had worked perfectly well. By the time they had left the shop again, she had put the earbud back in, just to realise that the team was still completely focused on whoever they were after. It seemed like it was only a question of time until they would get rid of whoever was after her.

At the moment, Maggie didn't care much for that though. It was more than obvious to her that Parker was scared, and she felt sorry for the little thief. A pregnancy could indeed come as a shock, especially for a woman like her. No surprise she had bounced beside Maggie nervously all the time while they had made their way through the shop, and had talked her new friend into buying five pregnancy tests. Just to be sure.

Both women had eventually returned to the hotel room. Maggie had needed all her skills to convince Parker to use the pregnancy tests, and almost had to join her in the bathroom to offer supposed. Now, they were sitting on the large bed in front of each other, the pregnancy tests placed between them, their little displays hidden from their view.

At first, Maggie had wondered whether or not she should talk Parker through the minutes they had to wait. The nervous woman was lost in her own world by now though, and probably every spoken word would make the situation even worse. Instead, she had simply taken Parker's hands into hers, offering silent support while making sure she wouldn't suddenly jump up and run away.

Maggie couldn't help but remember how she had found herself in exactly the same situation so many years ago. Back then, she and Nate had actually been looking forward to finding out the results of her pregnancy test. Closing her eyes, Maggie fought back the rising pain remembering a certain aspect of her past never failed to cause. There were things no one should have to go through, but Maggie couldn't change the past, no matter how much she and Nate wanted to make it happen. The pain would always be a part of her, would never disappear. But by now, she had found a way to live with it, even though it was hard at times.

She forced herself to focus on the woman in front of her instead. So far, she hadn't asked Parker about the potential father's identity yet. She could only hope that the thief hadn't gotten involved with a person who could mean trouble for her.

The beeping sound of the alarm clock they had set startled both of them back to the present. Roughly pulling her hands back, Parker crossed her arms in front of her chest. She looked even paler now, and couldn't prevent herself from shivering. She was scared: it was easy like that.

"Okay," Maggie said then, knowing very well that nothing she could say would calm Parker down. "Have a look at them."

Like expected, Parker shook her head. "I...can't," she answered quietly. "Can't...you?"

Maggie just nodded in response. Carefully, she picked the five little sticks up. The tension that was radiating from Parker in this particular moment was starting to make her feel nervous as well. In silence, she took in the single little word that was displayed by all five of the pregnancy tests.

"That's a pretty clear result," she stated.

"What do they say?" Parker whispered.

Wordlessly, Maggie turned them around. Parker stared at them, at every single one of them. And didn't do anything. She didn't speak, didn't react in any other way. Instead, she seemed to freeze in place. Maggie didn't know whether or not she was glad about that.

"I know you're shocked now," she eventually spoke up when Parker hadn't moved a single inch for several long minutes. "You weren't prepared for finding out that you're expecting a baby today. But...see, you shouldn't forget that you're not alone with this. Of course it's going to interfere with the job, but I'm sure you'll find a way. And no matter who the baby's father is and what he'll do...you're not alone. You have the team. They're always going to be there for you, and for the baby."

At her words, Parker looked up. The expression in her eyes caused realisation to finally hit Maggie.

"Your baby's father is part of the team, yes?" she asked quietly. Like expected, Parker nodded. More, she didn't need to figure out the man's identity. A rush of relief filled her, yet she forced herself not to smile. A smile was the last thing the woman in front of her needed right now.

"I know this is overwhelming you right now," she continued. "But there's really no need to be scared. I'm pretty sure you can completely count on Eliot."

"How do you know it's his?!" Parker asked shocked, for the first time able to speak louder than a whisper.

Maggie offered a warm smile. "Well, it wasn't so difficult to find out. It couldn't be Nate. He's with Sophie, and he would never cheat on her. Besides, you're like a daughter for him. That only left two options. As no one seems to know about what's going on though, what you have obviously isn't a serious relationship. Just some fun, right? That's not the kind of relationship I could imagine Hardison to have though, which means he's out, too."

Parker stared back at her in disbelief. "You're creepy," she told her. "Just like Nate. You're psychic, right? You can read people's minds."

Maggie laughed in response. "No, I think I just learnt a lot from Nate." With a wink, she added, "And from you guys." Another chuckle escaped her. Then she grabbed Parker's hands again. "I mean it. You don't have a reason to be scared. Of course this pregnancy is unexpected and shocking, and probably you have no idea what's ahead for you when you're going to have this baby. But like I said: you're not alone with this. These people...your team...they care for you. They care for you so much. They love you, Parker. They're going to help you."

"But what if I'll be as horrible as my parents?" Parker whispered back.

"That's nothing you should even consider," Maggie answered. She didn't know every detail about Parker's past, knew very well that she had had a rough childhood, with her parents and after that when she had moved from orphanage to various foster families. Thinking of the fact that eventually, Parker had run away as a little girl, forced to learn how to survive on her own, made Maggie's heart ache. "You know better." She hesitated. "You have to tell Eliot about the baby. No matter what you decide to do now." At Parker's questioning look, she added, "He deserves to know about his baby. Even if you decide not to keep it."

"Oh, no." Parker shook her head. "It doesn't have to go away.."

Maggie nodded. "Fine. Remember though, it takes two to create a baby. Tell him about it. And then, you can tell the others as well. You'll see, they'll be there for you. Same counts for me, too. We might not see each other often, but if you have any questions or need anything, you can always call me."

Parker seemed to like the idea. Her expression softened a tiny bit, but she still looked worried. "I can't tell him though," she admitted. "I don't know how."

"If you don't know what to say, why not write to him then?" Maggie suggested. "Write him a letter. Just explain it to him, write down what you're thinking and feeling about this. Writing something is usually easier than openly saying it."

Parker considered the option for a moment. Then she nodded. Relieved that obviously she had somehow found a way to get through to Parker, Maggie got up and returned with a sheet of paper and a pen.

"I'm here if you need anything," she said.

Parker took the items from her. She studied them for a moment before she looked up again. "I'm going to have a baby," she stated. "Isn't that crazy?"

"Soon, it won't seem to be that crazy to you anymore," Maggie promised. A sigh of relief escaped her as Parker started to write.

* * *

By the time the hotel room door was opened again, the tension inside had eased a lot. Sitting on the living room couch, Maggie looked up as the first team member entered the small living room. She resisted the urge to smile at who had found their way back home first.

"The job's done?" she asked.

Eliot nodded. "Yeah, it's all done. No need to worry anymore. You'd know about that though if you or Parker had been wearing your earbuds."

Maggie shrugged. "Yes, you might be right. It's not so enjoyable to listen to all the shouting in your ear while it's not even directed at you though."

Once again, she got a nod in response. She didn't miss how he scanned the room before he eventually joined her on the couch. "Where's Parker?" he asked. He sighed as she nodded her head towards the bathroom. "Still not feeling better?"

"I think she could feel better," Maggie answered. "But at least we figured out what's going on with her."

"Oh yeah?" Eliot asked surprised. "And what might that be?"

Wordlessly, Maggie handed the envelop over to him. She couldn't deny her heart was starting to beat faster at this point, too. Maggie believed that by now, her knowledge of people was good enough to know what they would or wouldn't do. Still she was curious how he would react. At his confused look, she said, "Just read this. It might answer a few questions. Don't ask, just read."

The look Eliot gave her in response said more than words. Obviously curious now, he took the letter from her though. In silence, she watched him as he unfolded it, as he started to read. His facial expression didn't give away much, but still, she didn't miss the changes in his eyes as he let the unexpected information sink in. He stared at the letter even after he had finished reading it. Like Parker, Eliot seemed to have frozen in place for several long minutes until he dropped the letter with a sigh and buried his face in his hands.

Maggie allowed him to sit like that for while until she decided to break the silence. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," was the short answer.

Maggie nodded. "What's overwhelming you more right now? The fact that you're going to be a father or that she's afraid you might get mad at her?"

Like expected, he looked up. "You and Nate...you have quite a lot in common, you know?" he asked back.

She chuckled. "You're not the first one telling me this today." Tilting her head to the side, she added, "Is it just me or aren't you that shocked about the baby itself?"

Shaking his head, Eliot sighed again. "Like I said, I don't know," he admitted. "It...is a shock. Of course it is! When I came in here, I didn't expect there to be a letter by Parker, telling me she's pregnant. But..."

"You already suspected it, right?" Maggie completed for him. "Because of how she's been feeling. You're observant. The option didn't occur to her at all, but I bet it did to you, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did," he said. "Somehow, I was already wondering if she could be pregnant. I just didn't say anything because I didn't want to rile her up for nothing. Or anyone else. But I did prepare myself for that option. Still...actually finding out you're going to be a father is a different story."

"Of course it is," Maggie agreed. "But I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who knows you'll be able to handle this challenge. The two of you will."

"And what makes you so sure about that?" Eliot asked back.

Her smile widened a little. "Because in my eyes, you're the most responsible and most stable member of this group."

He stared back at her in disbelief. "I don't think now's the right time for mocking me."

"I'm not." Maggie shook her head at him. "I'm honest. I know what you think of this team. That Nate's your leader as he's the mastermind, and he usually comes up with the plans. That Sophie's something the the group's mother. But both of them had their moments when they lost touch with reality and did something they shouldn't have done, right? There's a reason why I said people underestimate you a lot. They do more than they know. You're even doing so yourself."

Staring at the coffee table in front of him, Eliot shook his head. "You don't know me, Maggie. You just know what you see."

"Oh yes?" she asked back. "I know more about you than you think. You believe I'd have gotten anywhere near you guys without knowing as much about you as possible? I questioned Nate, and as he still trusts in me, he told me everything I wanted to know. About everyone of you guys. You included."

"Oh yeah, and why are you still willing to sit on the same couch with me?" He offered a sarcastic smile as she rolled her eyes in response. "You know what's the difference between me and them? They didn't see what I saw. Somewhere along the line, I reached the point where I stopped feeling. You have any idea how dangerous someone, who lost the ability to feel, really can be."

Maggie shrugged. "But you learnt how to feel again, right? And you started to change. Unlike Nate, who wants to control others, you've learnt to control yourself. This team can completely count on you. Always. And, to get back to our original topic, Parker can count on you now, too. I don't doubt for a second that as long as the two of you are working together, you can handle this challenge. No matter how serious or not serious things between you guys are."

"But if I'm such an awesome guy, how come she's afraid I might get mad because of this?" he asked back.

She sighed. "You know her longer than I do, right? Whatever is going on between the two of you was supposed to be fun. Now things turned serious. Quite a little complicated, too. And she fears you might blame her for that."

"That's just silly," Eliot stated. "Both of us weren't really careful enough."

Maggie nodded. "Yes, but it's you who needs to tell her so. Not me. She needs to hear from you that you won't just leave her alone with this. That she can count on you. She's Parker after all. I won't ever forget how I met her for the first time."

Eliot chuckled. "Understandable." Releasing another deep sigh, he moved to get up. "Thanks for taking care of her, Maggie."

She just nodded in response, and watched as he made his way over to the bathroom door and knocked.

"May I come in, Parker?" Eliot asked quietly. "I read your letter, and I'd like to talk to you about it. I...promise I'm not mad."

Silence greeted him at first. "Okay," Parker's voice answered then. "But...I'm not sure I'm done with puking yet."

Another chuckle escaped him. "Don't worry, that's okay. May I come in now?"

At the 'yes' he got in response, he opened the bathroom door and let himself in. Maggie waited for a while, forcing her rising curiosity down. After almost half an hour, she couldn't help herself anymore though. As quietly as possible, she made her way over to the bathroom as well.

Carefully, she opened the door just enough so she could peek inside. Maggie was convinced that both, Parker and Eliot, were aware of her presence. But neither of them reacted to her. Sitting on the tiled floor, Eliot was holding Parker in his arms, gently running a hand up and down her back. There was no doubt that both of them were still overwhelmed by the unexpected news that they were going to have a baby. But still, she could see that they looked a lot more relaxed now.

With a satisfied smile, Maggie closed the door again and returned to her living room couch. Obviously, she had done a good job.


	2. Parenthood

**Title:** Twists and Turns: Parenthood  
**Summary:** Eliot finds out that Parker has a clear opinion about parenthood, and about their baby's sex.  
**Characters:** Parker, Eliot  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** I said I wanted to continue this when I completed another story, but I changed my mind. This'll be a little oneshot series. Have fun with it! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Did you guys check out akblake's story 'It Takes a Village'? It's another version of this plot, and it's such a beautiful story! Now, happy reading!

* * *

There had been a time when Eliot had used his apartment as a place where he would escape to after a job, would get some distance between himself and the team. After all, he had worked on his own for too many years to easily adjust to a team. Apart from that, he had had his own world outside of the jobs.

He had been aware of the fact that things could changed though, and so had his relationship with those four people. They had become a family for him somewhere along the line. He had realised that for the first time when he had noticed how much time he was really spending with them.

Nate and Sophie had turned into something like mother and father figures. Hardison had become the exhausting little brother. And Parker...Parker had moved through different stages. He could still remember how they had hooked up for the first time, many months ago.

They hadn't really bothered to discuss what had been going on between them. It had been fun, had made them feel good. Who needed to always figure things out and discuss them in great details? What for? Why not just enjoy things the way they were?

But eventually, what had been fun and easy had taken a new direction as well. He had suspected her to be pregnant for a while already. Actually finding out they were having a baby had still been unexpected though.

A couple of weeks had passed since Maggie had handed him the small letter in which Parker had informed him about their baby. A few days ago, they had shared the news with the team. Their reactions couldn't have been more predictable, and he couldn't deny they had warmed his heart. After all, this was what families did.

Ever since that day at Maggie's hotel room, nothing was the same anymore. Neither Eliot nor Parker had wasted much time with creating a detailed plan of where they wanted to go from this point. They had simply agreed they wanted to do it together. As a couple. As a real, little family. Everything else would develop with the time.

But although no plan had been created, everything had been different right from that moment in the bathroom, when he had assured her that he wasn't mad and that they could handle this challenge together. Suddenly, his place was no longer just a place he would go to because he wanted to be on his own. Usually, Parker was with him as well now. Because she wanted to, but also because he couldn't help himself and felt the urge to watch out for her even more.

They were going to have a baby. Eliot had mentally repeated that a couple of times, but still it sounded surreal to him. Being a father...he had considered that a few times in the past, but never seriously. He had imagined what it'd be like, but deep inside, he hadn't believed it was actually an option for him.

Now there he sat on his living room couch, in a surprisingly quiet apartment, once again realising that some twists and turns simply couldn't be expected. That counted for their plans as much as for life outside their jobs. In a couple of months, a baby would be part of their team family. His and Parker's baby. That the two of them, of all people, would end up to be parents of a child seemed to be crazy.

But not for a second, he would deny it was a great feeling. A lot of people feared changes, twists and turns, forgetting that some of those could actually be good. Neither he nor Parker had been prepared for parenthood at all. Now they had a couple of months to adjust to the idea and get prepared. And he didn't mind at all. Because as overwhelming as the idea of having a child appeared to them, he was already looking forward to it.

The sound of his bathroom door being opened and shut again interrupted Eliot in his thoughts. An exhausted looking Parker returned to his living room. With a deep sigh, she let herself fall onto the couch, flinging her legs across his lap as she lay down.

"Are you better?" he wanted to know.

Parker shrugged. "Why don't I just move into the bathroom? I'm always there after all: either to puke or to pee. Why not put a bed in there?"

Eliot resisted the urge to chuckle, or even smile at her words. He knew she was serious. The early pregnancy symptoms didn't exactly count to her favourites, and he couldn't blame her for that. In fact, he was surprised that she was handling this situation so well in the first place. From Maggie, he knew she had been scared at first. But after figuring out that she wouldn't be alone with this and that he was more than willing to raise their child together with her, she had calmed down enough to not freak out anymore. He couldn't tell whether or not she was fully aware of what parenthood meant, but then again he couldn't tell for sure either: for both of them, it would be a whole new experience.

"It'll surely get better soon," he told her, following her wish to lie down with her as she firmly grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and pulled.

Parker snorted in response. "You think I'm silly? When the puking stops, I'll have an aching back because I'm going to be big." Sighing deeply, she placed her hands on her still flat belly. A smile lit her face then. "Can you imagine that this little bean will turn into a baby?"

"Bean?" Eliot raised his eyebrows at her.

"Or peanut," she said. "You saw her on the photo. She's not bigger than one."

"Her?" he asked back. "You think it's going to be a girl?"

It was Parker's turn to give him a funny look. "I know it'll be a girl, silly."

"And how do you want to know that?" Eliot wanted to know, mentally wincing at the knowledge that one of her crazy explanations would follow now. Still he was curious.

Parker rolled her eyes at him. "I just know it. The baby's growing in my belly, remember? Of course I know if it's going to be a girl or boy."

"Just from it being in there?"

"From her being in there."

Eliot couldn't resist the sigh that escaped him at her words. "Parker, no one knows whether it'll be a boy or a girl yet. The baby's far too small. Like a bean. Or a peanut. Remember? You said so yourself."

"Oh, please." She shook her head at him. "I don't need to see it on a screen or a photo to know it's going to be a girl. I know it."

"You just want it to be a girl," he stated.

Parker glared at him. "It's not 'it', it's 'her'. This is our baby, remember? It's not an item! And I know she'll be a girl."

Taking a deep breath, Eliot fought down the rising comments. Parker was stubborn. She really seemed to be convinced that she knew their baby would be a girl. Arguing with her wouldn't lead anywhere. Especially at the moment, he also risked to push her to the point of starting to cry if he discussed too much with her.

"Fine," he sighed eventually. "Care to explain to me how you figured out she'll be a girl?"

Satisfied with the fact that he had stopped calling their baby 'it', she nodded. "Yes. It's my instinct telling me." Her smile widened. "Hey, we could bet!"

It was his turn to shake his head at her. "I don't bet."

"That's just because you know I'm right." Parker's smile widened into a grin.

"I just don't...whatever." Sighing again, he shrugged. "Fine. It's going to be a girl. But don't come to me and be disappointed when she turns out to be a boy."

Parker laughed. "That's not going to happen." With those words, she grabbed one of his hands and placed it on top of her belly. The gesture made him shudder, but she didn't pay attention to that. Instead, her smile had softened again. So close to her, he could also see the sparks in her eyes now. He had seen this expression for the first time when they had seen their baby on screen for the first time. Back then, he hadn't paid much attention to that though, as he had to deal with his own feelings, caused by realisation hitting him once again, with full force this time.

"Are you scared?" she suddenly asked.

Roughly interrupted in his thoughts, he gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Are you scared?" Parker repeated. "Of becoming parents?" As Eliot didn't answer her question right away, she continued, "I'm not."

"No?" he asked back, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

Parker shook her head firmly in response. "No. Why should I?" She smirked again. "You think I'd be scared because I had horrible parents and because I didn't like my foster families either, right? Because I don't know what normal parents have to be like?"

Eliot could only nod. There were moments when he would almost go crazy because of the fact that she didn't understand things that made sense to everyone else. And then, she had her moments in which she would be so analytic, knowing exactly what was going on inside the minds of people around her. He still hadn't forgotten how she had once pointed out to Hardison that Nate would never leave a place as long as he knew Sophie was still in there and in potential danger.

"I'm not scared," she repeated. "Because I might not know much about normal parents, but I know what they're not supposed to do. I won't hit our baby. I won't let her starve. I won't shove her around, leave her alone or use her to feel better myself. I'll make sure that she'll be happy. I'll listen to her problems and will hold her when she's upset. And you'll scare away all her nightmares and make sure she won't ever have to be afraid of anything. We'll make sure she knows we love her, even if she breaks something or says a wrong word, and that she can trust in us. Because that's what children should know, right? That they're loved. That they don't have to run away, because they have a family. Because there are people who'll be by their side, no matter what." She chuckled softly. "No, I really am not scared. Because I can make sure that this baby won't be raised like me."

Once again, Eliot could only nod in response. The lump in his throat, caused by her words, made it difficult to speak without revealing what he was thinking at this particular moment. Being reminded of the fact that Parker had never had anything of what she had listed pained him. Was it a surprise she was so determined to raise their child differently? Certainly not. Her determination and belief in herself and her ability to be a better parent made him proud of her. It showed to him how far she had come since he had met her for the first time. She wasn't just a crazy thief anymore. She had turned into an adult somewhere along the line, and as he mentally replayed her words, he couldn't help but think that Parker knew very well what parenthood meant.

"You don't have to be scared either," Parker said then, gently patting his arm. "You'll be a good Dad."

Eliot couldn't help but chuckle at her words. It didn't happen often that Parker believed she had to reassure someone of something. Especially not him.

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll do a good job," he admitted, surprised by how much he believed in this fact himself.

Parker's smile widened. "Good! Now can we have dinner?"

Sighing once again, Eliot needed a moment to sort his thoughts. He still had to get used to her jumping from one topic to the next in a matter of seconds. "It's too early for dinner. We just had lunch," he pointed out.

Parker shrugged. "So? I'm hungry again. Especially as lunch ended up in your toilet."

"And what do you want?" he asked back.

She grinned. "Oh, a lot of things!"

Patiently, Eliot listened to Parker as she listed all the different food combinations she was longing for at the moment. Yes, a lot had changed since they had found out they were expecting a baby. Parenthood would be a new challenge for them. So would be the pregnancy. But he couldn't deny he was looking forward to it. More and more with every day.


	3. Instinct

**Title:** Twists and Turns: Instinct  
**Summary:** Parker struggles with what's right and what's wrong, and Eliot reminds her to listen to her instinct.  
**Characters:** Parker, Eliot  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! :) Here's a new update for you, happy reading!

* * *

Finding out she was expecting a baby had come unexpected for Parker. And as a shock. After all, being pregnant had been the last thing that would have come to her mind. Probably because the idea had simply sounded crazy to her. After all, she and Eliot just wanted to have some fun with each other. Nothing more, nothing less.

Parker was sure that Maggie had been convinced she was pregnant right from the start. Nate's ex-wife hadn't needed the pregnancy tests to prove her theory right. The woman knew what she was talking about. She was expecting a baby. It was easy like that.

Fortunately, she hadn't stayed shocked for too long. Maggie's idea of writing a letter to explain the news to Eliot had been a good idea. He had approached her eventually, assuring her that they would handle pregnancy and parenthood together.

As a couple. A mild smile lit her face at this thought. Wasn't it fascinating how some twists and turns could suddenly change a relationship? At first, she had wondered if said change was simply about the baby.

By now, she knew the feelings had been there all the time. The baby had just given them a reason to finally admit them to each other and get together properly.

A couple of weeks had passed since then. In her second trimester now, Parker didn't find the pregnancy to be surreal and weird anymore. She knew: there was indeed a baby growing in her belly. She had seen it on a monitor, had heard its little but fast heartbeat. She could see her belly was constantly growing, revealing that in a few more months, she and Eliot would become parents.

It was a fascinating experience. A baby. Their very own baby, part of her, part of him. The idea was amazing, and excited her more and more. She knew Eliot wasn't the only one who had been surprised by the fact that parenthood didn't really scare her. Parker assumed they were convinced that someone, who had gone through such a horrible childhood, would be afraid of being a bad parent themselves.

But Parker didn't believe she could ever be like her biological parents, or her foster ones. Why would she repeat what she had seen them doing? Why would she do the same mistakes, and make her baby feel neglected and frightened, although she knew what a nightmare it had been for her?

No, in her eyes, that didn't make any sense. She knew what not to do. The child, their little girl, would know how much she was loved by them, and by the rest of the team. She would be allowed to come to them, with whatever problem she'd have. Even if she just believed there was a monster hiding under her bed. Yes, this girl would have the happy family she had always wanted to have.

A girl. Parker's smile widened at this thought, a tiny chuckle escaping her. Eliot still wasn't convinced the baby was actually going to be a girl, but at least he had stopped arguing and had settled for saying 'she' and 'her', too, instead of 'it'.

Only a few more months, and everything would change. For Parker herself, changes had already started though. Being someone who was completely aware of her body, she noticed those changes even more. Apart from that, her part in their jobs wasn't the same anymore either. That she wouldn't jump off skyscrapers for now had been a given right from the start. In addition to that, the others made sure to keep her away from other situations that could possibly get her into danger. Stealing wallets and other little things from people was okay. So was grifting, and the occasional break ins into safes, as long as she wasn't in danger of either being caught or locked up.

Parker threw another quick glance across the large entrance hall of the hotel she had entered half an hour ago. Their mark was supposed to show up soon, with Sophie by his side. Her job was to steal a certain, small, but important item from him, leave the hotel again and hand it over to Hardison, who was waiting in his beloved van. Nate was busy with another mark, a few stories upstairs, with Eliot not too far away from him, for the case their mastermind would get himself into trouble.

Shaking her head, Parker released a soft sigh. Waiting would never count to her favourite things to do. Her eyes drifted over to a near glass door. She could see her reflection in it, and her smile returned. The dress Sophie had picked for her looked pretty nice. It also didn't hide the growing belly beneath it. Gently, Parker brushed her hands over it, once again feeling an all too familiar rush of excitement.

Said excitement disappeared within a matter of seconds though as Parker noticed something else. Her hands pressed more firmly against her belly as she held her breath and hoped what she had felt wouldn't be repeated.

Unfortunately, the cramps returned though, more forcefully even. A gasp escaped her as she reached for the nearest wall with one hand, bending over in pain. Closing her eyes, she tried to control her breath, taking it in slowly, releasing it again.

But the pain kept on increasing. A cold rush of panic filled her, making her shiver. Her eyes flew open in fear as she tried to breathe through the pain, unable to prevent it from getting worse and worse though.

"Eliot," she whispered. "Are you...still upstairs with Nate?"

"Yeah, of course," his voice answered through the earbud. "Why? Is everything okay?"

"I...don't know." Giving up on her attempt at keeping her voice calm, Parker squeezed her eyes shut again. "I think...I got a problem."

"What problem?" he asked back, his voice on alert.

"I'm...in pain." She couldn't suppress a slight whimper. "I think...something's wrong."

Another rush of panic took over then. Shuddering, she tried to lean against the wall for support. Nate said something, so did Sophie, although her voice wasn't more than a faint whisper. Eliot, telling her that he was on his way downstairs already, was the only reply she cared for though.

Desperately trying to control her heavy breathing and racing heart, Parker realised in growing fear that instead of easing, her cramps still seemed to be getting worse. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

"Please," she whispered, repeatedly running her hands over her belly. "I'm sorry. Just...be okay."

Two hands gently grabbed her then, pulling her away from the wall. Heavily, Parker leant into Eliot, willingly following him as good as she could.

"When did that start?" he wanted to know. His voice was supposed to sound calm, but she knew him well enough by now to be aware of the fact that he was worried, too. He couldn't hide the underlying stress as he spoke.

"Just...started," Parker answered between gritted teeth. "It's...hurting so much. Right here, in by belly." A suppressed groan escaped her. "Something's wrong, isn't it? You're not...supposed to feel pain when you're pregnant. Not in your belly. Right?" Her hands firmly gripped the arms that were holding her upright, her nails digging into the fabric.

"We'll see about that. No need to panic yet," Eliot assured her, although he didn't sound too convinced himself. In a more stressed voice, he added, "Hardison, where are you?"

"Lucille's right outside the hotel," their friend answered, unable to hide a slight shaking of worry in his own voice. "You...need me to...help somehow?"

"Get that blanket and pillow out, so she can lie down when we arrive," Eliot ordered. Turning his attention back to her, he lowered his voice again and added, "I mean it, Parker. There's...no need to panic. Pain doesn't necessarily have to be caused by anything serious."

His words didn't have the wished effect at all. The cramps in her belly were causing her mind to spin. Waves of panic and fear kept on rushing through her. What was going on? What was happening to their baby?

What if something was really wrong with her? The idea frightened Parker more than she would have ever dared to imagine. During the last couple of weeks, she had gotten used to the idea of expecting a child. She was excited. She had seen it, and still continued to look at the sonogram photo almost only a daily basis. She loved to see the way her belly was growing, revealing that yes, there was a baby growing in there. She was thrilled by the idea of her and Eliot being parents soon, of allowing one little child to have what she had always been wishing for herself.

What if something was wrong with this baby? What if...?

Before she could allow her thoughts to go further down this road, Parker felt how a cool breeze hit her. They must have left the hotel by now. A few more steps and she heard the familiar sound of a van's door being opened. Another moment later, and she found herself inside of Lucille.

"Lie down," Eliot told her softly, this time succeeding a little more at staying in control over his voice. He gave her hand a gently squeeze as she did like she was told. "Listen to me. Everything's going to be okay. Can you tell me if you think you're bleeding?"

"I...don't know. I can't tell." Gritting her teeth, Parker tried to lie still on the floor of Hardison's van.

"Okay." From the corners of her eyes, she could see Eliot nodding in response. She didn't dare to look at him, afraid to see that he was really as worried as she felt. "Will you let me check on that?"

Parker only nodded in response. Her eyes stayed focused on Lucille's dark ceiling. She ignored what Hardison was doing at the other end of the van, fearfully waiting for Eliot to speak up again as he lifted the skirt of her dress to check whether or not she was bleeding.

"Okay," he repeated after what felt like eternity to her, and this time, she noticed a clear hint of relief in his voice. "You're not bleeding at all. That's good."

"That's good?" Eventually staring up at him, she gave him a disbelieving look. "I'm...I'm in pain!"

"I know," Eliot replied, taking her hand back into his, holding it in a gentle, yet firm grip. "But not because there's anything wrong with the baby."

"But...why's it hurting so much then?" Had she been in any other situation, Parker would have cursed herself for the tears that sprang to her eyes. In this particular moment, she couldn't have cared less though.

"Like I said, pain doesn't necessarily have to mean anything bad," he told her. "Look at me, Parker. I know it's hurting a lot right now. Those are just cramps though. Nothing else. You're not going to lose the baby."

"But...what if they're contractions?" she asked back, unable to believe him yet. "What if...what if the baby's coming already? It'd...it'd be way too early! Imagine how small she is! I..."

"Parker!" Eliot interrupted her. "Contractions aren't that way, remember? The doctor described them to you when you asked. They come and go. It's a different kind of pain. You do know what cramps feel like, right? Isn't that more similar to what you're feeling right now?"

"But why..." Parker started again, the first tear rolling down her cheek.

"Your body's changing," he told her softly. "Keep in mind: there's a baby growing in there. Your whole body has to adjust to that. And all those adjustments can cause pain at times. That's normal. A lot of women have to deal with cramps during their pregnancies. They don't mean anything bad. You'll see, they're going to stop as soon as you manage to lie still and settle down for a bit. Try to relax."

Leaning in further, he ran a hand through her now messed up hair. His lips close to her ear, he whispered, "Everything's okay. You don't have to be scared. Try to calm down. Try to breathe with me." He guided her hand to his chest so she could feel the rhythm of his own breath. "In and out again. Just like that. Relax. Everything's okay."

It took Parker another couple of moments until she managed to breathe in time with him. Slowly, ever so slowly, she could feel herself calming down again. To her utter surprise, she realised Eliot was right. Another few minutes later, she could feel the pain fading, until it eventually disappeared completely.

"Are you better now?" Hardison asked this time. Looking up at him, Parker could see he was still sitting in front of his computer, watching her with huge eyes. He was worried as well, and she couldn't help but offer a tiny smile.

"Yeah, much better," she answered.

He released a sigh of relief, offering a smile of his own. "Cramps can be pretty nasty, huh? But Eliot's right, a lot of women experience those during pregnancies. Nasty, but not bad."

Parker frowned at his words. "How do the both of you know so much about that?"

"Well, I've read quite a lot of books lately," Eliot informed her. "Guess Hardison took over matching internet sites." Leaning in, he gave her a quick kiss. "You've been reading about the baby most of the time. How big it is at which time, how it's growing and changing. But you didn't really read that much about what you are going through yourself. I thought it'd be good to have some information on that as well." He kissed her again.

"Sophie and Nate want to know if everything's okay," Hardison said then, reminding Parker of the other team mates, and the fact that obviously, she wasn't wearing her earbud anymore.

"Tell them she's good," Eliot answered for her.

She gave him a quick nod of approval before she closed her eyes again to relax some more. Yes, physically, she was fine again. The cramps had disappeared completely. But that didn't change the fact that her mind was still spinning.

* * *

It didn't happen often that Parker found herself alone in Nate's living room. The rest of the team was still downstairs, celebrating a good job. She had excused herself a few minutes ago, for a bathroom break, like she had told them.

The truth was that she wanted to be alone with her thoughts for a bit. Much to her relief, both, Eliot and Hardison, had turned out to be right. She hadn't felt uncomfortable again during the day: no more cramps. But although the pain was gone, Parker hadn't gotten over the panic it had caused yet.

For a couple of moments, there had been the, in her eyes realistic, fear of losing the baby. This option had shocked her, more than she would have ever dared to imagine. Even though becoming a mother had never occurred to her until Maggie had brought it up, she had come to love the idea of having a baby.

Suddenly confronted with the option of losing the baby, she had imagined all those little things she was looking forward to, which she loved already. Eventually, her worries had been unnecessary. But she knew that even Eliot and Hardison, despite being so well-informed, had considered this option, too.

Sitting on Nate's living room couch, hands resting on her belly, Parker stared at nothing in particular as she let her thoughts wander. The baby was fine. Everything was good. Now what could she do to keep it that way?

Parker wasn't surprised as she heard the apartment door being opened and closed again. She didn't need to hear the familiar footsteps that approached her then to know that Eliot had followed her. He had kept an even closer eye on her during the rest of the day, and she was sure he had noticed the change of her mood.

"Quite a long bathroom break you're taking here," he said as he joined her on the couch. "Care to tell me why you left, or do I have to question you first?"

Parker shrugged. "I wanted to be alone."

"And why?" Eliot wanted to know. "Is this still because of earlier? You've been feeling good since then, haven't you? No more cramps."

She just nodded in response. In silence, she stared ahead for another couple of moments. She had made a decision already: a decision that didn't make her happy and which she knew she had to share with the others. It seemed to be the best for the baby though.

"I think I don't want to be part of the jobs anymore," she blurted out then, unable to hide her thoughts from him any longer.

"Why not?" he asked back. Two words. Not more. He didn't even sound surprised. As Parker turned to him, she realised he didn't look surprised either.

"I thought I was going to lose the baby earlier," she answered, hoping she would be able to explain her thoughts to him. "I...never want to feel that way again. I don't want to get her into danger though, so...maybe I should stop." She nodded to emphasize her words. "Yeah, maybe I really should."

Eliot nodded as well. "And that's what you want, yeah? To stop. Would that make you feel better? To sit at home all day long, waiting for us to return?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

Parker shrugged. "Well...it might be boring of course...and odd. But...if it's the best for the baby..." She paused. "Why don't you agree with me? It was you who said I shouldn't be jumping off buildings anymore while I'm pregnant. Why don't you tell me it's great I decided to stop?"

"Because it's unnecessary," he answered. At her confused look, he continued, "Jumping off buildings is dangerous in general, and the adrenaline, along with the tight harness...that's really not good for the baby. Same counts for getting into any situation that could be dangerous in any way. We made sure that won't happen anymore though. There's no need to stop."

"But..." she started, stopped again as he shook his head though.

"Parker, see, I understand you, okay?" Eliot assured her. "I know you were really scared earlier. But you shouldn't be overly careful now. A lot of people think you have to lock yourself inside when you're pregnant. That everything could be bad for the baby in some way. That's not true. There's so much you can do. In fact, it's not even good if you don't do anything anymore. You have to stay fit. You also have to feel comfortable. That's the best for the baby after all: that you're feeling well."

"Yeah, but..." Her voice trailed off as she shook her head. "See, I...just want to do this right, you know? I...I don't want to do anything that could threaten her, just because I made a wrong choice! I mean, she depends on me. I want to be a good Mom. I want to make sure she's fine. But...in all those books, they're just talking about what normal Moms have to do. You know, those that don't have weird hobbies or strange jobs. There aren't books for 'how to behave while pregnant when you're a thief'."

"Yeah, I doubt you'll find one of those." Moving closer, Eliot wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Like I said, I got you. I know you want to do it right. Same counts for me. But...getting overly careful is wrong, believe me. Because if you are at this point already, you won't just stop with the jobs. You'll pay extra close attention to everything you're doing. Suddenly, you don't want to move more than necessary because it could be too much for the baby. You're afraid of what you're going to eat because it would be not so good. You won't go outside anymore because the world is a dangerous place, right? You know what? That's the worst you can do to her. Because being always on alerts means you're constantly in a state of stress. And stress is what really isn't good for the baby."

He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "You said you want to do the right thing, but you don't really know what that is, right?" he asked. At her nod, he continued, "You won't find the answer for that in books, and no one else can tell you either. Because everyone's different, you know? One thing all of us learnt though: that we can trust in our instincts. Other people aren't that lucky. They depend on what others tell them, on information they get from books or doctors. They never learnt to trust themselves and that inner voice. We're not like them though. You and I...we both know how to listen to our inner voices. Your instinct will tell you what's right and what's wrong."

"And what if my instinct betrays me?" Parker wanted to know. "It knows how to protect me, but what about her?"

"Ever heard of maternal instincts?" Eliot asked back. "I'm pretty damn sure you got those, too."

Parker nodded slowly. She couldn't deny he was right. The last few hours, she had tried to be cautious and careful, had tried to avoid everything that could possibly be bad for the baby. But she had to admit that this behaviour, along with her decision to stop participating in jobs, had stressed her out a lot.

"What an irony," she said. "You want to protect your child, and eventually it's the stress that's really the problem."

"Yeah," Eliot agreed. "That's why you should find the right balance. There's a lot between jumping off a high building and locking yourself at home."

She nodded again. "So it's okay if I keep on doing the jobs? Just have to make sure I'm relaxing enough and won't overdo it?"

"If that feels right to you, sure," he answered. "Like I said, it's all about the right balance."

Parker smiled. She knew she could trust in his words: he wouldn't make such a suggestion if he wasn't sure it was the right thing to do. Knowing that she could still do what she loved and didn't have to stay at home, bored and unable to do anything, relieved her a lot.

"How come you're so calm about this?" she wanted to know then. "So relaxed?"

"Honestly?" A tiny chuckle escaped him. "I'm not calm at all. Or relaxed. I was worried as well earlier, believe me. I'm glad I made it downstairs without tripping and falling down the stairs." Eliot smiled as she laughed. "But you know what's the good thing about what I'm doing? It taught me how to stay focused, how to not lose control over myself. You were in need of help, but would I have been able to help if I had freaked out? Certainly not."

He brushed his lips over her cheek in a loving kiss. "This is stressing me out as well. But I know that if we overreact and keep on panicking, it won't get better or easier."

"Means you're going to stay calm and think rational so I can freak out and be crazy?" she wanted to know. "Aww, that's sweet of you."

He rolled his eyes at her playfully. "Yeah, yeah, totally sweet." He kissed her again. "Remember what you told me when you said you weren't scared of parenthood. You told me you're convinced we can do it. That confidence is a good thing. As long as you don't overdo it. But I doubt you will."

"Okay," Parker answered. For her, the discussion was over. She could still feel the strong urge to protect their baby, but his reassuring words had helped her to remember that stressing out and getting overprotective only made things even more complicated. The balance was important after all.

"Thank you for making sense and for being so good at controlling yourself," she said, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Eliot answered, returning her hug.

"I love you more."

"Parker."

She giggled. "You want to go upstairs?" she wanted to know then, one of her hand sneaking its way downwards, to where his shirt met the waistband of his jeans. How quickly her mood could change lately, especially if one said the right, or sometimes wrong, words, never failed to fascinate her.

He tensed at her words. "You do know this is Nate's place, yeah? And his bedroom is upstairs."

"So? I bet he doesn't mind."

"Parker!"

Another giggle escaped her. "We could also stay down here," Parker suggested as he released her from his tight embrace. She raised her eyebrows as he took her hand and moved to get up. "Where are we going?"

"Home?" Eliot replied. "We got our own bed at my apartment, remember?"

She grinned brightly. "So you like my idea?"

"What do you think?" he asked back.

Grinning even more, Parker got up and followed Eliot. The earlier tension had disappeared, and she was happy to realise she could feel so relaxed again. Sometimes, a few reassuring words were everything she needed. Especially in moments like this, where she still had to learn what was right and what was wrong. Her instinct would tell her.


	4. The Video

**Title:** Twists and Turns: The Video  
**Summary:** Maggie offers information in a way the team clearly doesn't approve.  
**Characters:** Parker, Eliot  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
Author's note: Thanks so much for the lovely reviews! :D Huge thanks to akblake for discussing the idea for this chapter with me!

* * *

Nate had noticed right from the start that Maggie was showing up coincidentally in Boston far more often than she had in the past. In fact, Maggie had never come around for a visit in the past. Why should she, after all? She was living in Los Angeles, busy with her beloved job. Who wanted to go on a short trip to Boston then?

Obviously, that had changed recently though. Of course Maggie would never admit why she had developed such a strong interest in the city, and especially in his team as of lately. But Nate knew his ex-wife good enough to be aware of the fact that a certain event was responsible for her behaviour.

Parker and Eliot were expecting a baby. It had been Maggie, who had found out first about those news, mainly due to the fact that she had pointed it out to the thief in the first place. Having experience with pregnancies of course made her the perfect source for information.

Information she was more than willing to offer, and Nate knew that Maggie didn't only have selfless intentions for that. He couldn't blame her at all. Eliot and Parker were more than willing to accept her support, to listen to what she had to say.

And in return, Maggie would be allowed to be around them, would be able to watch the pregnancy develop, and later could spend some time with the baby. Nate knew that this was the part she was looking forward to the most.

Just like him. For obvious reasons. Looking up briefly as he headed into the kitchen while Maggie got back into her coat, he raised an eyebrow at her, briefly feeling the familiar sting he always experienced when she was around. There were memories of the past, and feelings one would never forget. Pain included. He didn't have a doubt that being confronted with a baby would be a challenge for them, but as this child would be part of their family, too, it almost seemed like they were getting a second chance, in some way.

"It's a shame Sophie didn't manage to get here in time," Maggie said with a sigh as Nate returned. She chuckled at the look he gave her in return. "What? Do you still have a problem with understanding that yes, I like Sophie a lot? She's a wonderful woman. She's perfect for you. You're my ex, Nate, and even thought we're divorced, I still care for you a lot. I want you to be happy. We might've not been able to offer that happiness to each other anymore, but I know she's able to. So stop the confused looks and accept that I'm friends with her." She dug through her handbag then, making a concentrated face, until she presented a small disc to him. "Can you do me a favour? Parker asked for this. Can you give it to her?"

"What is it?" Nate wanted to know, studying the item suspiciously.

"Just some more information." Maggie winked at him. "I'd not have a look though. Just give it to her. See you soon, Nate."

And with those words, she left. Nate stared at his closed front door for a moment, shrugging then. His attention turned back to the disc.

"Not supposed to look at it, huh?" he murmured to himself. In fact, he was far too old to still have the instinct usually only kids and certain members of his team had: doing the opposite of what he was supposed to do. But he couldn't help himself, and mentally, he cursed Maggie for knowing that very well. With a sigh, he switched Hardison's screens on and put the disc into the DVD player. With another sigh, he made himself comfortable on the couch and started the DVD.

It didn't take him more than a couple of minutes to realise why Maggie hadn't wanted him to see what was on the disc. He wasn't exactly sure if Parker had really asked for a DVD that explained a baby's delivery in great details, with material that couldn't have been more explicit. In disbelieving silence, he stared at the giant screens in front of him, until a gasp from behind him interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh my...goodness!" Sophie exclaimed. So shocked by the video, Nate hadn't even heard her entrance. Thankful for the interruption, he looked up as she walked around the couch, with huge eyes staring at the screens now, almost missing the seat as she sat down. He caught her just in time before she could end up on the floor instead.

"What the hell...are you watching?"

"Maggie gave that to me," Nate explained. "She said it's information for Parker, and not to watch it."

"And that of course made you want to watch it even more?" Briefly, Sophie shook her head at him, giving him a scolding look. "How old are you, Nate?" Then she turned back to the screens. "Oh gosh, no! That's just...horrible! Turn it off, Nate! Come on, turn it off! How did you not do that yet anyway?"

"You know those moments when you see something and you just can't look away anymore, no matter how much you want to?" he asked back, searching for the TV remote. "That was one of those moments." A sigh of relief escaped him as he finally found the item in question and managed to turn the DVD off. Pictures of Boston's skyline appeared then, and never before, they had looked more appealing to Nate.

"Wow." Sophie shook her head in disbelief. "Please don't tell Parker, but...I'm so glad it's not me who's pregnant. I'm really not sure she's supposed to see that either."

"Then maybe we should accidentally forget to give it to her," Nate suggested. No longer wanting to be anywhere near the offending DVD, he got up. "Why don't you and I go out for a bit, head to a nice restaurant maybe?"

"You don't seriously think I want to eat anything right now!" Sophie gave him a disbelieving look.

Nate shrugged. "How about a drink at the bar then?"

That seemed to be more appealing to her, and he didn't bother to point out what she had just agreed to. A little distraction would be good for the both of them.

* * *

Hardison couldn't deny he liked Nate's apartment the most when he was alone in it. Because that meant he could stroll around, do whatever he liked without earning the long, often not that pleased looks from their mastermind. Even though Nate had accepted that they had turned his place into the headquarters a long time ago, he still liked to remind them of the fact that yes, this was still his apartment.

His place! Hardison snorted at the thought. As if! The building was his now. And, at least so he believed, Nate was happy to have them around so often, he just wouldn't admit it yet. With a new bottle of soda and enough gummy frogs, Hardison made his way over to the couch. He shook his head at the fact that Nate had left the screens on. That man!

With a comfortable sigh, he dropped down onto the couch. His eyebrows raised as he glanced towards the DVD player.

"Oh, someone's been watching a movie?" Hardison grinned. That didn't happen often. It didn't happen at all.

Curious about what their mastermind had watched last, Hardison restarted the player.

And regretted it immediately. At first, it took him a couple of moments to understand what exactly he was seeing. The sickness that came to his stomach as realisation hit him then almost made him throw up over the laptop in front of him.

"Oh my...what the...! No. No! NO! Oh my God, no!" Hectically, he searched for the TV remote, which seemed to have magically disappeared all of the sudden. "Dammit, man! I didn't want to see that! No! Oh my God!"

Covering his eyes with one hand, he searched for the stubborn remote with the other. Panicking, he tried to switch the DVD player off several times, just to eventually realising he was holding the remote upside down. As the video eventually disappeared and was replaced by the calming sight of Boston again, Hardison let himself fall back against the back of the couch with a groan. His stomach was still twisting and turning, and he took deep, slow breaths to prevent himself from throwing up after all.

His stomach rebelled violently as he jumped off the couch the moment he heard how the front door was opened. "Nate!" he exclaimed. "What a...why would you have such a disgusting video in your damn DVD player, man?! You know, if you see something, you...can't just unsee it again, right? You can't! Thank you very much, man!"

Nate didn't look the slightest bit guilty though. "Oh, that's not mine," he answered calmly. "Maggie gave it to me. Obviously Parker asked for it. Must have forgotten to take it out of the player."

With those words, the older man, closely followed by Sophie, headed into the kitchen. Hardison stared after them, shaking his head in disbelief. He shuddered physically as images of the video found their way back into his mind again. How was he ever going to get rid of those again? He'd have to do a lot of video game playing and DVD watching for that!

"Parker...for real?" he mumbled to himself, forcefully taking the disc out of the player. He hoped she would have fun with that.

* * *

"What's taking you so long?" Parker complained from her location on the living room couch. "Hurry up already!"

"Hurry up..." Taking a deep breath, Eliot swallowed down the comment he wanted to shoot back in response. There were moments when he wondered whether Parker was just trying to test his patience, or was really feeling like behaving the way she did. Most likely, it was the first. She had admitted once that she liked to rile him up, because she enjoyed his reactions to that.

"Well, I can hurry up of course," he decided to say instead. "But then you won't get all that food you wanted me to fetch for you."

Silence greeted him. "I want all that stuff though, because my stomach won't stop growling."

"Then you better be patient," he said.

A long sigh was his answer, but she stayed quiet indeed. Instead, he could hear how she made her way around his living room until she sank back onto his couch with another deep sigh. A smirk lit his face at that. Parker had adjusted to being pregnant surprisingly fast. She was looking forward to parenthood already, convinced they would be able to handle it somehow.

Of course, she had had her fair share of moments of insecurity, too, mostly related to her pregnancy though. Fortunately, she hadn't had to deal with cramps again until now, and he couldn't blame her for responding with panic when she had experienced them for the first time. She was as protective of their unborn child as he was of the baby and her, and he understood why she had overreacted afterwards, wondering whether or not she should just lock herself up at home.

By now, she had learnt that the balance mattered though, and seemed to feel comfortable with that. The way her body was changing was a different story though. In the beginning, she had been excited to see her belly slowly growing. By now, she was starting to get annoyed by that. She didn't fit into her clothes anymore, and even something simple like sitting down on a couch required planning. She couldn't just jump over the backrest of it, or sit on the armrest anymore. The fact that at least two of their team mates liked to treat her like a raw egg at times didn't help much either.

"Here, I hope that's enough for the next few minutes," Eliot said as he returned into the living room, handing a well-filled plate of her current favourite food over to her. As he noticed the remote she was holding, he asked, "What are we going to watch?"

"Just a video Maggie got me. About giving birth," she answered, happily accepting the plate from him.

He raised an eyebrow at her words. "A video? About giving birth? You sure you want to see that?"

"Why not?" She gave him a funny look. Curiously turning back to his TV, she started the video. With a sigh, Eliot made himself comfortable next to her, mentally cursing himself for not having come up with an excuse sooner. He could imagine something better than watching such a video. It was her who had to go through the actual delivery though, and he didn't want her to remind him of the fact that the least he could do was watching a silly DVD with her.

Obviously, what Parker saw wasn't exactly what she had expected though. The plate of food was soon forgotten as she stared at the TV with huge eyes and an open mouth. The expression of utter disbelief and shock made him tense. Carefully, he took the plate from her, just in time to prevent her from knocking it over as she suddenly spun around.

"Turn it off!" she exclaimed. "Turn it off! That's just horrible! Turn if off already!"

Resisting the urge to sigh, Eliot did like he was told. As he turned back to her, he found Parker still staring at him, with unnaturally big eyes and a pale face. Telling her that he had tried to warn her most likely wasn't a good idea in this particular moment.

"That's impossible!" she finally said. "I...can't do that! I can't! And don't say I can. Did you see the video?"

"I tried not to see more than necessary, to be honest," he admitted.

Ignoring his answer, Parker continued, "I mean, I did know where the baby's going to come out all the time of course. But...that just looked horrible!"

"Yeah, of course it did," Eliot answered. "That's why I don't think you should've looked at it in the first place."

"And ignore the facts?" she asked back.

"No, and not let a video rile you up and scare you," he said. "What did you expect from a video that's supposed to show childbirth in great details, huh? Like you said, you know where the baby's coming out, and you also do know how big a newborn baby is."

"That's not helping!" Parker complained.

Eliot sighed. "What I'm trying to say is...don't look at such stuff! Also don't listen to women telling you how horrible a delivery is like. People like to make everything sound as dramatic and horrible as possible, because people have the habit of wanting to shock people with their stories. Which is not what you need right now, so stay away from that."

"And what am I supposed to do instead?" Parker wanted to know. "Just go in without any idea what's going to happen?"

"No," he answered. "Every delivery is different anyway. Who cares for stories and video material about it? Why don't you just settle for neutral books or articles that describe what exactly is going to happens during a delivery? So you know what's going on. And then, we'll also go to those classes where we'll learn the real stuff we need to know. That's all you need."

She considered his words for a couple of moments. Then she nodded. "So you won't let me go to those classes on my own?" she wanted to know.

"Of course not." He shook his head at her. "You thought I would? We're in this together, remember?"

Parker chuckled. "I know, but imagining you visiting such a class with me is quite funny."

"Yeah, yeah, very funny indeed." Eliot couldn't help but smile as well. "So, why don't we send that DVD back to Maggie?"

"We could also burn it," she suggested. "Or break it. No one should have to watch such a stupid video."

Parker threw a dirty look at the TV, before she grabbed her plate of food again and happily continued to eat. In amusement, Eliot watched her, glad that at least her appetite hadn't suffered. He took the video out of the DVD player, making sure it would go back to its owner as quickly as possible.


	5. Being a Family

**Title:** Twists and Turns: Being a Family  
**Summary:** Parker and Eliot have to deal with their 'family members'.  
**Characters:** Parker, Eliot  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** Thanks so much for the lovely reviews! :D Here's more for you, have fun with it!

* * *

With a deep sigh, Parker shook her head at Sophie. That the team had turned into something like a family a long time ago was a fact she was very well aware of. That they would try to be involved in her pregnancy hadn't been too much of a surprise either.

She hadn't been prepared for how much the team would try to be a part of everything though. When Sophie had talked her into going shopping with her, she hadn't expected that her friend was actually trying to find new clothes for her.

Parker couldn't deny she had learnt a lot from the grifter during the last couple of years. Sophie had taught her about body language, about the meaning of glances, about how to talk, how to walk, how to behave around others.

But there were times when Sophie's excitement with teaching her was simply going too far. Her friend trying to make her understand that the clothes she was constantly showing to her were better for her was just too much.

Sophie was stubborn though. In fact, every team member was. Why they hadn't gotten into really serious arguments yet was a miracle.

"Sophie, I really don't need anything of this," Parker repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. Her discomfort was increasing more and more as she followed her overly excited friend through the small shop she been dragged into. A saleswoman was watching them already, and she didn't know whether that was due to Sophie's behaviour or just because it was part of her job.

"Of course you do!" Stopping in her tracks, Sophie turned around, giving her a stern look. "Parker, your body is changing. There's a baby growing in there."

"I do know that," Parker replied, shaking her head. Of course she did. Said baby had started to move for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It had been a fascinating sensation, and after announcing it, she had found various pairs of hands placed on her belly, waiting for the baby to move again.

By now, the formerly enjoyable and interesting, new sensation had become rather exhausting. The baby wasn't just getting bigger, it was also getting stronger. She could feel real kicks now, instead of a slight fluttering. Depending on where the baby kicked her, it wasn't an enjoyable feeling.

Sophie nodded. "See? So you shouldn't keep on squeezing yourself into your old clothes. That's not comfortable at all."

"I don't have to squeeze myself into my old stuff," Parker pointed out. "I can wear Eliot's clothes. He allowed me to do that."

Once again, Sophie stared back at her, with a disbelieving expression this time. "Parker!" she scolded. "You can't wear your boyfriend's clothes! You're...a woman! Besides, even his clothes will get too tight with the time." She paused. "Which doesn't mean you're getting...big of course."

Parker rolled her eyes. As if she cared whether or not her friend believed she was getting fat! She was pregnant after all. The baby had to go somewhere, and she couldn't help but wonder how it managed to fit into her belly in the first place.

"Why does me being a woman mean I'm not supposed to wear his stuff?" she asked back.

"Because..." Sophie sighed deeply: a sigh Parker knew only too well. She was exhausting her friend again, because she didn't understand the point she wanted to bring across.

"Listen, Parker," she said then. "I know you're not much into dressing up, and that you don't care for your clothes at all. But...there are so many beautiful things pregnant women can wear. Don't you think you'd feel more comfortable in something that's been made for a woman in your situation?"

Parker shrugged. "Honestly? It really doesn't matter to me. I do feel comfortable like this."

Sophie sighed again. Shaking her head, she stared at the piece of clothes she had just picked up. "Fine," she said then. "It doesn't make sense to force you into shopping if you really don't want to do it."

Parker nodded. Unlike what she had expected, she didn't feel relieved by Sophie's words though. She could see the disappointment in her friend's eyes. In Parker's opinion, that didn't make sense either. This was just about clothes, wasn't it? And those weren't even for Sophie herself.

"Why's it so important to you?" Parker couldn't help but ask.

"What? No. No, it's okay." Sophie tried to offer a smile, failed though.

"That was your worst lie so far." Parker raised an eyebrow at her. "I might not be the best when it comes to reading people's emotions, but you clearly do look upset. Why? It's just shopping, isn't it?"

"Yes, actually it is." Sophie shrugged. "But...I know this might sound stupid, to you, but you're like my little sister for me, Parker. You...you mean the world to me, you know? When I found out you're expecting a baby, I got so excited. But see...I'm not Maggie. I can't give you all the good and helpful advice she has to offer. All I can do is...well, shopping. I was just looking forward to doing something on our own. Just you and me." She paused. "But still I shouldn't force you to do something you don't want to do."

Parker didn't respond right away. Sophie's explanation had come unexpected, and hadn't failed to warm her heart. There was a reason why she had told Sophie she had been missing her while her friend had been on her little break, away from the team. During their first year and the following months after their reunion, the other woman hadn't just become her first best friend, she had indeed turned into something like a big sister for her. That Sophie was feeling the same way was a lovely fact, and suddenly, her behaviour seemed to make a little more sense as well.

"You know," she decided to say then. "Maybe...you could show me a few pregnant woman clothes? Just a few though."

"Really?" Sophie's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you sure? We don't have to..."

"It's okay," Parker interrupted her. Offering a tiny smile, she added, "Show me a few you like best. But just so you know...you can do more than shopping with me. There's surely a lot of...sister stuff we could do together."

The bright smile and the quick hug Sophie gave her in response told Parker that she had made the right decision. One or two hours of shopping with her 'sister' would be okay, especially if it made her so happy.

* * *

"I wonder what's taking Nate so long in the shower." Taking another sip of his beer, Hardison made himself comfortable on the living room couch.

"Well, feel free and go check if you want," Eliot replied.

Hardison shuddered. "Nah, thanks, man." He sighed comfortably. "You know, we should enjoy watching those games as good as we can. Doubt we'll be able to have time for that as soon as the little one arrives." He paused. "Although...we could watch the games together with the baby. Teach him a little bit about sports and all."

"Him?" Eliot asked back with raised eyebrows. "What makes you think we're going to have a boy?"

Hardison shrugged. "Isn't that what most men wish for? A son? Little version of yourself?"

"I don't have a preference," Eliot told him. "Besides, Parker's convinced we're going to have a girl anyway."

"Yeah, and you're starting to believe her, huh?" Hardison grinned. "That she knows it's a girl? Are you believing her?"

"Of course not." Eliot glared at him, not because of what he had said, but more because of the fact that Hardison wasn't so wrong either. By now, he had so gotten used to calling the baby 'she' and 'her' that he was really getting to the point of believing his girlfriend.

"Speaking of the baby," Hardison said then, his grin widening. "I've been planning on something for her. Something special. You wanna know what?"

"I'm not sure," Eliot admitted.

"Oh, you do want to know, man, believe me," Hardison said proudly. "Because I have worked on a whole new kind of earbuds. For babies."

"What?" Eliot stared back at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"Of course not!" Hardison looked almost offended. "I'm serious here, man!"

"Oh yeah?" Eliot shook his head at him. "There's no way you're going to try your earbuds on my child!"

"And why not?"

"Just...don't!" he said firmly. "I swear, if I find one of your earbuds in my baby's ear..."

"Okay, okay!" Hardison raised his hands in defence. "I won't use them on her. Although they'd be so helpful. Imagine, you could stay in contact with the baby even when you're doing a job."

"I said no."

Hardison just groaned, being the one who was glaring now. Eliot almost expected one of the hacker's 'no one appreciates what I'm doing' comments, but was glad his friend stayed quiet. Lack of appreciation definitely wasn't the problem. The idea of the man using his electronic stuff on a newborn child made him shudder though.

"What's it like?" Hardison asked then.

"What do you mean?" Eliot asked back, not sure whether he was more surprised by the question or the fact his friend didn't seem to be offended anymore.

"What is it like to know you're going to be a father?" Hardison wanted to know. "It's crazy, isn't it? I mean, doubt you expected that, huh?"

"Not really." Eliot couldn't help the smile that lit his face at the man's question. "It's a weird feeling. A little surreal, you know? But then again, it getting more and more real now. That's pretty exciting."

Hardison nodded slowly. "And are you scared? I mean, Parker seems to be surprisingly confident about that whole thing. But what about you?"

"It'll be a challenge, that's for sure," he admitted. "But...no, I don't think it's scary. I think we can do it. We'll be good parents."

"Of course." Hardison nodded in agreement. He chuckled. "You're going to be a Daddy, man. And Parker's going to be a Mommy. Doesn't that sound cool?"

"You're still not allowed to use the baby earbuds," Eliot replied.

Hardison groaned. Shrugging then, he added, "I couldn't see myself in that role though. Being a father. Doesn't fit to me."

"And why not?" Eliot wanted to know. "I mean, look at Parker and me. If you think of people with kids, are we the first ones that come to your mind? Surely not. Now look at us. In a few months, we're going to be parents. And one day, you might have a baby boy or baby girl yourself."

"Yeah, find me the right woman first," Hardison stated.

Eliot rolled his eyes at him. "What, you want me to boost your ego now? Tell you that out there are a million women willing to run after you? Stop pitying yourself, man. Keep your eyes open. There's surely one for you out there as well. And until then...well, you'll just be Uncle Alec."

"Uncle Alec." Hardison smiled brightly. "I like that sounds." He paused. "See, if you at least had a look at the earbuds..."

"Hardison!"

Before Eliot could add more though, the men were interrupted by the sound of a key in the front door's keyhole. Turning around, they saw a huge amount of bags first, behind which appeared a happily smiling Sophie and an exhausted looking Parker. The latter just dumped her bags in the middle of the living room and almost ran for the couch. With a deep sigh, she let herself fall onto it.

"How was your shopping trip?" Eliot asked, resisting the urge to smirk at the look on his girlfriend's face.

"What do you think?" Parker groaned. "That's what you get for being nice. I swear, she used that programming stuff on me. Told me I'm like her little sister for her, and that she so wants to do stuff together with me."

Eliot threw a quick glance at Sophie, who was gathering together the bags that had been abandoned. "I'm afraid that's not been a trick but the truth though," he said.

"Yeah, I know," Parker sighed. "That's why I agreed to go shopping with her after all. A few clothes I said! You see those bags though? That's not just a few! She made me buy pants and dresses and shirts, and even shoes! At least I didn't have to carry those. Oh, and she also made me buy underwear."

"Underwear?" Hardison, having overheard most of the conversation, asked curiously. "You mean that giant stuff for pregnant women which you can almost disappear in completely? That goes up to your chest?"

"That's not funny!" Parker hissed, giving him an angry glare. "And no, not that stuff. She bought me...other kind of underwear. You know, the special kind."

"The special...oh." Hardison made an uncomfortable face. "That kind of underwear. Um...guess what? I might actually go and check what's taking Nate so long."

With those words, he got up and disappeared. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Eliot turned his attention back to the frustrated woman next to him. "So...special kind of underwear, yeah? Like lingerie, you mean?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah! You wouldn't guess they sell such stuff for pregnant women, right? It's crazy. But Sophie said it's great and I should buy it."

"Oh, I don't really think it's that crazy," Eliot told her. "You think you'd like to show it to me later? When we're home?" He threw another quick glance into Sophie's direction. Obviously they hadn't been talking quiet enough, as the woman offered a knowing grin.

"You can thank me later," she said quietly before she headed into the kitchen.

Parker, not having heard the comment, snuggled into his side. "I'm not walking a single inch anymore today. You can already figure out how to carry me to the car."

"I'm sure I'll come up with something," he said.

Placing her feet on the coffee table, Parker made herself comfortable on the couch. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Eliot pulled her closer. Both agreed that their team mates could be rather exhausting at times. But they assumed that was simply part of being a family.


	6. Welcome, Baby

**Title:** Twists and Turns: Welcome, Baby  
**Summary:** Parker and Eliot welcome their baby girl.  
**Characters:** Parker, Eliot  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Here, let me hug you guys! :D I'll reply to your reviews soon. And now, here's a new update. Happy reading, have fun! Oh, and thanks so much to my lovely friend akblake again for reading, commenting and making suggestions, and for your awesome ideas!

* * *

During the last couple of months, Parker had faced different stages regarding her feelings towards her pregnancy. At first, it had seemed to be a surreal, weird idea. Then, she had slowly started to get used to it. There had been a time when she had been nervous about the moment the baby would be born. In her third trimester though, she had just wanted the baby to arrive finally.

Sighing deeply, Parker let herself fall onto Nate's living room couch. The midwife had announced months ago on which day she had assumed the little one to be born. Said day had passed ten days ago. The baby was late, and by now, Parker was wondering when she would decide that she finally wanted to be born.

Shaking her head, she threw a quick glance out of the living room window. She could barely see anything due to the increasing snow. A few minutes after the team had left, a blizzard had been announced via the news. In a couple of hours, the entire city would be covered in a thick layer of snow.

Parker hadn't been too surprised when Eliot had announced he would head back to the apartment, not wanting to have a blizzard between himself and his pregnant girlfriend. Eventually, the others had convinced him that they would be back soon.

A chuckle escaped her. He was funny to watch when he was being so protective of her and their baby. Just like her, he was slowly getting impatient, even though he would never openly admit that.

Gently, she ran her hands across her huge belly. Since the morning, she had already felt rather odd. She had discovered a slight pain in her belly area, but lately, that wasn't anything too unusual. After all, the baby really wasn't small anymore, and her body was reacting to it. Her back was protesting quite often, and the rest of her body didn't really liked to be kicked by the growing child either.

Wincing slightly, she pressed a hand more firmly to her front. There it was again, the strange, stinging sensation. This time, it seemed to be a little stronger though. Taking slow, deep breaths, she waited for it to pass, and sighed in relief as it eventually did. Leaning back against the back of the couch, she closed her eyes, trying to relax as good as possible in her current situation: being pregnant could be incredibly exhausting.

A shocked gasp escaped her at a new rush of pain then. It still reminded her of what she had been dealing with for hours already, but its intensity couldn't be compared to that at all. The pain started slowly, increasing more and more until it reached its highest point, before it faded away again. Her eyes widened in shock as realisation hit her.

Slowly, Parker got up. Her phone was resting on the coffee table in front of her, for the case she needed to make an emergency call. The urge to grab it and dial one of the familiar numbers was strong, but before she would cause a mass panic among the others, she wanted to be sure that what she felt was really what she assumed.

Taking deep, slow breaths, Parker made her way through Nate's living room. In silence, she counted the seconds and minutes. She could feel her heart beating faster with every passing moment. Almost she wanted to believe that her suspicion had been wrong.

Then, the pain returned. This time, it left no room for debating. Squeezing her eyes shut, Parker reached for the back of the couch, trying to support herself as she waited for the contraction to pass. Slowly, she made her way back to the coffee table. With shaking hands, she picked up the phone and dialled.

"Hey," she said as Eliot answered her call. Gritting her teeth for a moment, she swallowed down a rush of panic that started to build in the pit of her stomach. She didn't have to look outside again to know that the blizzard had done a good job already. "Promise not to freak out, okay?"

"What's wrong?" he asked back, his voice instantly on alert. She sighed.

"I said not to freak out," she reminded him. "I'm okay, I just think...the baby's finally decided to come."

Silence greeted her. She could make out voices in the background, a question was asked. He didn't answer.

"Eliot?" she asked, almost believing he had dropped the phone, or had just fainted.

"Don't worry, we'll be right there," he finally said, surprising her with the low voice in which he was speaking. "We're trying to...get to you as fast as possible. When...when did it start?"

"I don't know," Parker admitted, feeling how her cheeks started to redden.

"You don't know?" he asked disbelieving.

"No. I mean, it really started to hurt a few minutes ago. But...I think I might have had contractions for a while already. I just...didn't think they were actually contractions because they weren't that bad at all."

"You were in pain earlier and didn't tell me?" She was sure she could hear a slight hint of shock in his voice.

"It really wasn't bad at all, I wouldn't even call it pain. Not bad pain at least." Parker wanted to add more, but another contraction interrupted her. "Shit," she couldn't help but hiss.

"Are you okay?" he wanted to know, for a moment letting go of the calm, relaxed mask behind which he seemed to have been hiding since her little announcement. Parker was convinced that as soon as they ended the phone call, he'd tell the others off for talking him into going with them.

"Yeah," she forced herself to say. "Just...please don't panic or anything, but can you come back, please?"

"Hardison's already getting us back to the apartment," he informed her, back in control over his voice. "Try to relax as good as you can. Remember how we practised it so many times. Pay attention to your breathing. Make sure you're sitting comfortable. We're going to be there soon. Don't worry, everything's going to be okay."

Parker nodded. A sudden question found its way into her mind then, causing another rush of panic. "What...if the blizzard won't allow you to come back? What if I..."

"Don't even think about that," he interrupted her. "You're not going to do this on your own. We'll be right there. We'll hurry. Don't worry, okay?"

"Okay," she breathed, gritting her teeth as she struggled with another contraction. The fear was still there: how could a few words simply wipe it away after all? What if the team wouldn't make it in time? What if the baby was faster than them? The blizzard had turned Boston into a winter wonderland. Who knew where they were and how long it would take them to get back? Was she capable of delivering her first baby all by herself?

The plain thought of that pushed her towards the edge of a panic attack. Along with another contraction, that wasn't a good combination. Putting her earbud in, she placed the phone on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around her belly firmly. Unfortunately, controlling her breathing didn't work as good as she wanted it to.

"Parker, are you still there?" Eliot's voice asked then. He sounded worried, but at least he didn't seem to freak out. That was good.

"I think I'm...I'm scared," she admitted, knowing very well that anything else would have been a lie he would have right seen through. "I...can't do this on my own."

"And you won't have to," Eliot promised. "We'll be there in no time, you'll see. The...streets aren't even that bad."

"That's a lie," she stated.

"Just trust me," he replied after a moment of silence. "We won't leave you alone with this. Calm down. Everything's going to be okay."

But Parker wasn't so sure about that. The contractions seemed to get worse, and every time, there were less minutes left between them. Unable to sit any longer, she crawled off the couch to kneel instead. Bracing herself on the seats, she tried to handle the increasing pain, along with her growing fear that the team wouldn't return fast enough. Eliot stayed on the phone, constantly talking to her. From the tone of his voice, she could tell that they definitely weren't moving forward as quickly as he wanted them to.

She had to wait three entire hours. By this time, she had come to the point of mentally pleading that the sun would rip apart the clouds and melt away the snow. Her fear of having to deliver the baby on her own was getting almost overwhelming by now. A sob of relief escaped her as Eliot eventually informed her that Hardison had just parked Lucille in front of the bar. Not even five minutes later, the front door flew open and her beloved team mates returned.

"I thought you'd leave me alone with this," she couldn't help but cry as they joined her by the couch. Willingly, she allowed Eliot to help her up and sit back down again. Feeling his arms around her, knowing they were all back, had to count to one of the most relieving experiences she had ever had.

"I said we wouldn't do that to you, right?" he told her softly.

"Getting you to the hospital will get a little tricky though," Hardison admitted, making an uncomfortable face. At the look Sophie gave him, he added, "What? You want to lie to her instead? It's snowing like hell out there!"

"I don't want to go to the hospital anyway," Parker said. "And...I don't think I could do so, even if I wanted to. Because...I think the baby's really coming now."

She could feel Eliot tensing slightly next to her, just for a matter of seconds though. "Then we'll have to do it here," he stated.

Nate nodded in agreement. Sitting on the coffee table in front of Parker, he studied her closely. "Parker," he said. "You know I have good medical knowledge. Remember how we talked about that once?"

She nodded. "Yeah, and you said you weren't a baby doctor."

He smiled. "Yeah, exactly. But even though delivering a stranger's baby somewhere out there in a café or train or anywhere else isn't exactly something I'd ever like to do doesn't mean I wouldn't be able to," he told her. "I always knew quite a lot about childbirth, not just because of Maggie. And since I learnt that you're going to have a baby, knowing that you hate hospitals as much as every other member of this team, I made sure to intensify my knowledge in this field. What I'm trying to say is...do you trust in me enough to let me help you? Do you want me to deliver your baby?"

"Well, I don't have that many other options, right?" she asked back, trying her best to smile. "Means yes. I do trust in you. At least by now. Besides, I don't think you'll harm the baby, because Eliot would kill you then. Right?"

"Pretty much," Eliot answered with a tiny wink in Nate's direction.

"Good," Nate stated. That's decided then. I think we shouldn't waste any more time on this uncomfortable couch though, right? Let's get you into my bedroom. That's a lot nicer, don't you think?"

Parker just nodded in response. It was amazing her how quickly she had managed to get over her almost overwhelming fear: everyone was back now, and Nate would be able to help her with delivering the baby. She could handle this.

Firmly holding on to Eliot, Parker allowed him to guide her upstairs. The spiral stairs had never been a bigger challenge for her. The former excitement about the baby finally being born had eased a lot thanks to the rapidly increasing pain. By now, there seemed to be barely any breaks left in between contractions.

Parker could hear how Nate instructed Sophie to get what he needed while Eliot led her over to their mastermind's large bed. A sigh of relief escaped her as she could finally sit down again. Carefully, she adjusted her position until she felt comfortable: as comfortable as one could be in her current situation.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine," Eliot told her, although she couldn't tell whether he was trying to assure her or himself. He was trying his best to seem calm and in control, but in his eyes, she could see he was still rattled by the fact that the blizzard had hindered their return so much.

"I'm sorry it took us so long," he added then, proving her theory right. "That damn blizzard. There's a reason why I didn't want to go with them. It was stupid. We knew you could go into labour every moment."

"Yes, or she could have waited another few days," Parker answered, although she knew that wasn't true: if the baby hadn't decided to come during the next one or two days, they would have brought her to the hospital and the delivery would have been induced. "Besides, no one could have expected that blizzard to turn out like that."

She wanted to add more, but her voice trailed off as another contraction hit her. They weren't just closer to each other now, they were also getting stronger. Following Eliot's advice, she had started to read a lot of books after watching bits of the horrible video Maggie had sent to her. By now, she could tell rather well which state of the delivery she had been in, and when. She had paid close attention to when the first symptoms would show up. How she could have not realised that in fact, she had been in labour for hours already, was still a mystery to her. Most likely, she had been prepared for worse pain, which she was getting now.

Obviously the baby finally wanted out, speeding up the process more and more. The actual delivery was something she had been nervous about for a while, unsure how she would be able to handle it. Now that the pain and pressure were increasing so much though, she just wanted their child to get out.

"Okay, let's see," Nate, having joined them now, said. Parker could feel he was nervous. He hadn't been prepared to jump in and help out right in the middle of her delivery. She was sure he would have felt more comfortable if he had had all those previous hours to get prepared. He took a deep breath. "We should get you out of all those clothes first. That'll make you feel more comfortable."

Parker just nodded in agreement, gritting her teeth at the sensation of yet another contraction. With the help of the two men, she managed to get out of most of her clothes, except the light shirt she had been wearing underneath the one she had snagged out of Eliot's closet. Indeed she felt better, but the lack of clothes didn't change the fact that she was getting restless. Breathing the way she had learnt it and practised so often, she tried to ease the pain, without much success though.

"I think I can't wait any longer," she forced herself to say, squeezing her eyes shut as she fought against what her body wanted her to do. She could feel how Eliot adjusted his position, allowing her to lean into him for support and to grab both of his hands at the same time. Knowing he was so close indeed offered comfort, and she couldn't have found words to express how grateful she was that he and the others had finally arrived.

"Don't push yet," Nate told her. "Not until I tell you to." Parker nodded in response, dearly hoping his examination would reveal that she could finally participate.

"Concentrate on your breathing," Eliot said quietly into her ear then, and she realised she had gotten off track again. She knew he could feel her increasing nervousness: even though she wanted things to speed up, she wasn't quite sure if she was ready for that yet. Everything was happening so fast, and yet not fast enough. Just minutes ago, she had been kneeling in front of Nate's couch, in fear that she would have to give birth all alone, without anyone around to help her. Now she wanted Nate to tell her she could push, and at the same time was frightened of actually doing so.

"It's okay, we're all here now," Eliot reminded her, still in that quiet and calm voice. She enjoyed the way he held her a little closer. "We're all here. You can do this. I know you can. And so do you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, I know you." She looked up at him, and was greeted by a smile. Said smile couldn't hide the concern in his own eyes, but still she couldn't help but think he meant what he was saying. "You're strong. Stronger than you think. You can do this, Parker. I know you can."

Once again, she only nodded in response, and when he reminded her of her breathing, she forced herself to concentrate on that. The pressure deep within her was getting close to being unbearable at this point. But then, Nate looked up, offering the hint of a nervous smile.

"Now push," he told her, in a similar calm voice as Eliot's.

And pushing, she did. It was a good feeling to finally be able to do something and not wait any longer. Closely, Parker listened to Nate's instructions, trying to follow them as good as she could. Eliot made sure she stayed in an upright position, allowing her to gain the needed energy for what she had to do.

But the pressure didn't seem to ease. Contraction followed after contraction. Each time Nate told her to, she pushed, but she didn't seem to make any progresses at all. Her entire body was heating up, she could feel cold sweat forming on her forehead, running down her cheeks, wetting her hair.

"Nate," Eliot's voice said then, and this time, his tone startled her. She could still hear he was trying to keep his voice low and calm, but couldn't hide the underlying stress. It reminded her of an incident a couple of months ago, when she had to deal with cramps for the first time. He was worried, no matter how much he was trying to deny it. Opening her eyes, she stared at the man in front of her, not liking the way Nate's expression had changed.

"What's going on?" she asked breathlessly. "Is...something wrong?"

"I...don't think..." he started.

"Be honest!" Parker said firmly.

"Well," Nate started, looking even more uncomfortable as he made eye contact with her. "It seems like your pushing isn't enough. But that doesn't have to mean anything's wrong..."

"Stop it!" Parker interrupted him. "The both of you! Stop! Stop trying to sound all calm, okay? If there's something not going the way it's supposed to, I want to know! What's happening, you think she...got stuck? And don't lie!"

"I can't tell yet," Nate admitted.

"Nate!" Eliot repeated the man's name, not bothering to stay in control over his voice this time. "Is she right? Is it possible that the baby got stuck?"

"Like I said, I don't know." Nate took a deep breath, shaking his head. "It could just be harder for her, because it's the first baby and because it's late. Maybe you just need to push harder, Parker. But...of course there's the chance that...the baby could indeed get stuck."

"Okay, that's enough." Eliot moved to get up. "We're going to get her to the hospital. Now."

"No!" Parker argued firmly. "I'm...not going anywhere. Not...like this! Not in this storm. What if I have to deliver her in the car?"

"She's right," Nate said.

"So what?" Eliot asked back. At this point, all control over his voice seemed to have disappeared. It matched the expression of increasing fear she could see in his eyes. He was scared. Because something wasn't going the way it was supposed to. "What are you suggesting instead? No matter how much medical knowledge you have, you're not a damn midwife!"

Nate stared back at him for a matter of seconds. "Hardison!" he yelled then. "Call a doctor! Tell them it's urgent, we need help up here!"

"Okay," was the only answer he received. Parker assumed Hardison simply wasn't able to say more right now. Even though he and Sophie had decided to stay downstairs, she was sure they were as close to the bedroom as possible to not miss a thing. Which meant they were well aware of the problems that had just occurred.

Once again, Parker turned to look at Eliot. He hadn't responded to Nate's idea, but she could feel he wanted to say something. She knew he wouldn't though: because of her. He had made it his job to protect her, to make her feel safe and well. He had promised to be by her side, to hold her hand and help her through the delivery. He had promised to ease her fear for the case she might get nervous, and would be the rock she could hold on to.

But now, things had taken an unexpected turn. It had started with their delay, worrying them whether or not they would be able to arrive in time for the delivery. And now, the situation had gotten even more complicated. What if the baby was stuck? What if it was impossible for her to give birth on her own? She knew very well which 'what ifs' were spinning in his mind at the moment, why they scared him to a point where he was unable to speak. He was human, just like them: even he couldn't always reassure himself that everything would be good. Even he couldn't save every situation, and he was very well aware of that.

"Come on," Nate said then, in a voice she knew only too well. He always used it when a job got difficult, when the others believed their plan was screwed. He wanted her to keep going. "Let's try this again. When I'm telling you to do it, you'll push as hard as you can!"

Parker could feel how Eliot returned to his previous position behind her. Once again, he held on to her. "Remember what I said?" he whispered into her ear. "You can do it. You're strong. I know you can do it."

Nodding, she held on to his hands more firmly. He was trying to sound calm again, and was more or less succeeding at it. Just like Nate, he wanted her to keep going. Still she didn't miss the hint of a plead in his voice. She could only imagine how much he was mentally urging for Nate's plan to work.

Fighting down her own nervousness and fear, Parker squeezed her eyes shut and at Nate's signal, she did like he had told her. Over and over again, she pushed as hard as she could. This time, she seemed to be making progresses, but those weren't enough. She could see her theory confirmed in Nate's eyes, that revealed his concern was increasing with every passing minute.

"Where's the damn doctor?!" he yelled.

"On his way. The blizzard's...making it hard for him to get through to us," Hardison's unnaturally thin voice replied.

"Isn't there anything else you can do, Nate?" Eliot wanted to know, once again struggling with keeping the fear out of his voice.

Parker could hear he said more, and so did Nate. Both men tried to stay in control over the situation, making sure they wouldn't freak her out with their own overwhelming fear, caused by the fact that they weren't in control anymore at all.

But to her own surprise, Parker herself wasn't scared. The longer she found herself in this complicated, frightening situation, the less she was nervous and the more she was suddenly able to focus. She knew things weren't going the way they were supposed to. But she knew her body. She didn't believe that something was seriously wrong: wouldn't she feel that otherwise?

But even though she was convinced that things weren't as bad as the two men believed, she also knew the baby had to get out. As quickly as possible. She had learnt during classes but also thanks to her books that while she could spend hours or even days in labour, the delivery itself shouldn't last too long. The baby was in danger, the longer it stayed inside.

The baby girl needed to get out of there, and she was the only one who could make it happen. A rush of determination filled Parker at this thought. The baby girl needed her. She had depended on her during the past months, and still did right now. She loved this little girl, who she was still about to meet, from the bottom of her heart. It was her job to protect her, to make sure she was safe. And exactly that was what she would do now.

"I don't need a plan B, or a doctor," she managed to say between clenched teeth then, ignoring as another contraction hit her. "I can do this on my own. I know I can." Once again, she looked up at Eliot. "You said I can do it, right? You stopped believing that?"

He only shook his head in response. During the past few months, it had always been him who had kept a clear head, had focused on what was important. So many times, he had calmed her down, had reassured her. He had made sure that she had made her way safely through her pregnancy, always aware of the fact that he would be by her side. Now it was her turn to give something back, to make him see that yes, she could do it, and yes, she could help their little baby girl. She didn't need a doctor. She just needed her own determination: Parker was convinced by that.

"Get me off the bed," she ordered.

"Parker," Nate spoke up, but she shook her head.

"Help me to get off the bed," Parker repeated. Both men hesitated for another second, exchanging a quick glance. "What? You think you're the only ones to make decisions? I'm the one going to deliver this baby, and I know what I have to do for that!"

She didn't have to repeat her order again. Eliot helped her to get off the bed and up into a standing position. Her legs were shaking, but the change of position felt surprisingly good to her.

"Hardison!" Parker shouted then. "We need you in here!"

A wide-eyed Hardison appeared in Nate's bedroom, stopping hesitantly in the middle of the room. Briefly, his eyes darted over towards the bed. He swallowed hard at the sight of blood, and needed his entire willpower to look her into the eyes again.

"What...for?" was all he managed to say.

"First of all, don't you dare to faint!" she told him firmly. "Don't you dare! If you faint, Eliot's going to kick your ass out of that window over there. You got me? And now you come over here. You need to steady my other side, so it's easier for me to stand."

"Are you sure?" Eliot wanted to know. His voice had clearly calmed down again, much to her relief. There was no doubt he was still scared, but obviously she had been convincing enough to help him get back in control over himself.

Nodding, Parker wrapped her other arm around Hardison's neck as he stepped next to her. Hesitantly, he held her, and tightened his grip at the stern look she gave him.

"That's a...good idea," Nate told her, offering an encouraging smile. She assumed his face was as sweaty as hers by now, his hair looking even more curly. He was exhausted, but her sudden burst of determination seemed to have motivated him as well.

"Can I help, too?" Sophie's hesitant voice asked then.

"Help Nate," Parker ordered, unable to prevent herself from offering a tiny smirk. They were doing just like she told them. Everyone believed in her. She could do it. Absolutely.

"Are you ready to try again?" Nate asked then.

And once again, Parker nodded. She could feel a new contraction starting. Patiently, she waited for Nate's signal. Tightly holding on to the men by her side, she pushed as hard and long as possible. To her own surprise and despite being exhausted from giving so much useless effort, she seemed to possess of even more energy now. Driven by her motivation and strong wish to help their baby girl, she kept on pushing, over and over again, and this time, she could feel it: she was finally making real progresses. She didn't know for how long she could continue like this, but she didn't care. A rush of adrenaline filled her as Nate told her she was doing good and the others offered words of motivation of their own. All of them were there, in the middle of Nate's bedroom, right by her side, offering as much support as they could.

And then, Parker heard the baby's tiny voice for the first time. Almost she missed the relieving success of another powerful push. Her eyes flew open at the sweet, little sound she had been waiting for so desperately. There, in front of her, knelt Nate and Sophie, holding a screaming baby in their arms.

"I did it," she gasped, not sure whether she was actually surprised or relieved.

"Yeah, you did," Eliot whispered into her ear. "You did it." His grip around her tightened. "I'm so proud of you. I love you." Something wet his her cheek and a tiny chuckle escaped her at the realisation he was crying: happy tears of relief, she assumed, perfectly matching her own.

"I love you, too," Parker whispered back, leaning further into his embrace.

"You...want to sit down now maybe?" Hardison asked then. At Parker's approving nod, Sophie got up and grabbed the nearest blanket to spread it on the floor. Carefully, Eliot and Hardison helped her to sit down. Now that the baby was actually there, her legs were starting to protest.

"You can faint now if you want," Parker told the hacker, who didn't even bother to hide the tears that were streaming down his cheeks.

"No need for that anymore, mama," he said, offering the brightest grin he had.

Parker's attention had turned away from him already though. Instead, she focused completely on the tiny, little human being Nate had just cleaned up. With a teary smile, he said, "Congrats on a beautiful, little baby girl, you two."

Eagerly, Parker took the little bundle from him. A strong rush of joy and warmth filled her as she studied the little one, taking in every tiny inch of her face, of her sweet, little hands as she did so.

"Hey there, baby girl," she cooed, smiling brightly as the child's eyes instantly focused on her. "How are you doing, huh? Are you doing good?" A tiny laughter escaped her as she looked up, making eye contact with Eliot again. "See? I told you she'd be a girl. I was right."

"Of course you were," he answered. The smile he offered warmed her heart even more. Parker had seen Eliot smile quite often already: more and more the longer he knew the team. He knew many different ways of smiling. But the one she was receiving now was entirely new, and she was convinced it was the most beautiful one of his. Sighing comfortably, she leant further into him, turning back to the small child in her arms: their beautiful, little daughter.

* * *

The doctor and midwife, who had eventually managed to get through, had left a few minutes ago. A comfortable silence had settled in Nate's apartment. Somewhere along the line, the team had moved downstairs, leaving the bedroom to the new parents and their baby.

Sitting in a newly made bed, surrounded by clean and dry sheets, Parker allowed herself to relax. With a warm smile, she watched her sleeping daughter, gently brushing her index finger over the baby's rosy cheeks and tiny hands.

What an adventure! She knew her body would need a while to recover from the pregnancy and the exhausting delivery, but same counted for her mind. The last couple of hours definitely counted to the roughest she had to deal with.

At the moment, Parker didn't want to think about that though. The midwife and doctor had confirmed that everything was perfectly fine. She and the baby had handled the delivery well. Nate had even been praised for doing a good job.

A tiny chuckle escaped her as she remembered the look on Nate's face as he had heard the compliment. Parker was sure he had never looked that exhausted before, and also never that happy. No one had really been surprised when he had announced that he needed a drink or two, and this time, Sophie had willingly given him what he had asked for. He deserved it after all.

A comfortable sigh escaped her as she held the sleeping baby a little closer. Eliot had kept his promise: he had been right by her side, had tried everything possible to calm her down, although she knew he had been so close to being overwhelmed by fear and concern several times. Nate had also kept his promise: he had safely delivered the baby. And even Hardison and Sophie had jumped in to help as well. All of them had been there to support her. Parker had always been aware of the fact that they were one big family by now, but never before, she had seen it so clearly, right in front of her. Those people loved her, and she loved them back, so much that she couldn't even find words for it.

Parker looked up as she heard quiet footsteps making their way up the spiral stairs again. She smiled as Eliot returned into the bedroom. He looked as tired as her, so she assumed, which didn't surprise her. He also still looked happy, and she was sure she would get to see the new, lovely smile, which she had discovered earlier for the first time, very soon again.

"Here's the water you wanted," he said quietly as he joined her in bed again. Carefully not to startle the baby, she drank.

"Thank you," she answered then. Adjusting the baby in her arms again, she added, "Maggie's really behaving well. She doesn't even cry so much yet."

Maggie. Margaret Sophie, to be more exact. They had decided to name their daughter after Nate's ex-wife quite a while ago. It had felt just right to them, as the owner of said name had been the one who had helped them with finding out about their child in the first place.

"How are the others doing?" she wanted to know then, looking up again.

"Well." Eliot gave her an amused smile. "I think Nate just killed an entire bottle of Whiskey. Sophie's supervising that, making sure he won't try and open another bottle. Guess he needed that though. Still looks a little shaken, if you ask me."

Parker nodded. "He was so worried. And then he was so relieved. He cried, you saw that? Quite a lot even. But Nate barely ever cries. He never really cries."

"There are moments when you can't help it I'd say," Eliot answered. Quickly, with a little frown, he added, "And Hardison...well, when I came downstairs, he tackle hugged me, cried and told me how happy he is for us."

"Aw, that's just sweet." Parker giggled. She could imagine such a behaviour very well, and even more Eliot's reaction to it. "What about you? How are you?" she asked then.

"How I am?" he asked back. "It's not me who just gave birth! And it wasn't an easy delivery either."

She shrugged. "Still. You look tired. I also know you cried, too. You were...worried, weren't you? Because of her."

"Not just because of her!" Eliot shook his head at her. He paused, looking away for a moment. Neither of them was good at such conversations, but she wanted him to talk about what he had been feeling, about what he was thinking now. "See, I knew you could do it. I knew it all the time. But...that doesn't change I was scared, you know? I don't think I've ever been that scared before."

"Oh, come on." Parker gave him a funny look.

"I mean it," he stated firmly. "I've never been that scared before. Because...I couldn't do anything, you know? I just wanted to help. I wanted to protect you. But I couldn't do anything. I could only watch." He paused again. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"Well, I love you, too," she answered.

Eliot stared back at her in silence for another minute. "Will you marry me?" he asked then.

Just out of the blue. Parker's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't been prepared for a proposal. Not right now. But before she knew it, she was already smiling in response. Yes, it came unexpectedly, but would she want it any other way? Certainly not. Especially as she knew exactly what to answer.

"Yes," she answered. Plain and simple. And there it was again: the smile she had seen earlier and which she had instantly fallen in love with. A new rush of warmth filled her as he kissed her.

Sighing once again, Parker snuggled into his side, adjusting Maggie in her arms as she did so. "She looks so peaceful, doesn't she?" she whispered. "Can you believe she's actually ours? That we're parents now? Mom and Dad?"

"Feels strange, doesn't it?" Eliot asked back. "It's a great feeling though."

Parker nodded in agreement. "I like it, too." Bending down, she placed a feather-light kiss onto the baby's forehead. "You hear that, sweetie? We're your Mommy and Daddy. Believe it or not."

Mommy and Daddy. Mentally repeating those words, she couldn't help but giggle. So that was what it was like to be parents: surreal, yet beautiful. Fortunately they still could get used to those new roles, could adjust to them. Their child was still a baby, and it would take a while until they would have to say 'no' or have to explain rules to her for the first time.

"You know, among all of Hardison's babbling was one rather interesting thing he said," Eliot told her then. "He asked why we didn't all just move in here."

"In Nate's apartment?" Parker asked surprised.

Eliot shook his head. "No, but into the building. It's empty after all. No one's using the two apartments across the hallway. One could be ours, and Hardison would move into the other one."

Nodding slowly, she considered the idea. "Means we'd be even more like a family," she said. "We could see each other whenever we wanted to." She nodded again. "I like the idea. When will we move in?"

"Easy there, it was just a suggestion." He playfully rolled his eyes at her. "No rush."

"Why not?" she asked back. "I love the idea. The apartment would be bigger, too. And moving isn't even that stressful. Just load all the stuff from your place into a big truck, and get it over here. There's nothing left at my warehouse anyway."

"So you really want to do that?" Eliot wanted to know. "You want to move in here?"

"Yes," Parker said. "I want to marry you, and I want to move in here." A bright smile lit her face. "We're all a big family, aren't we? It'd be perfect like that."

Eliot nodded in agreement. Once again, he pulled her closer, placing a loving kiss into her hair. Still smiling, Parker glanced down at the baby in her arms again. Yes, they were a real family now. And the others counted to said family, too. This day had proven to her how much they all truly loved each other. And she doubted she had ever been happier.


	7. Part of the Family

**Title:** Twists and Turns: Part of the Family  
**Summary:** The family is growing.  
**Characters:** Parker, Eliot  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** Oops, I just realised I totally forgot to update this! Thanks so much for the lovely reviews again, here is a new chapter! :D

* * *

That the baby would change everything had been a fact right from the start. They had all started with one single job, determined to separate after the work had been done. Eventually, they had stayed a team, and somehow, somewhere along the line, had turned into a family.

As different as they were, they balanced each other out perfectly. The team had learnt to trust in each other, to work together. All of them had looked back at a long period of being alone prior to the day of meeting for the very first time.

Thanks to each other, they had learnt what it was like to be a part of something, and not having to change for that. They were accepted as who they were, with all their skills and flaws.

So of course every change to their team dynamic would affect everyone. Especially if this change meant two team mates would have a baby.

Maggie was born into a crazy, interestingly mixed family. But one thing was for sure: she was loved, right from the very first second.

When Eliot had informed Hardison that he and Parker liked his idea of moving into the apartment across the hallway, he hadn't expected that the hacker would understand this as an invitation to arrange the move. The new parents had woken up the next morning, just to find out that their old apartment was empty and most of their belongings were waiting in an overfilled truck, to be loaded into their new home.

Nate had offered the little family to stay in his guest room while they would complete the move in a normal speed, now that Hardison had managed to get over his first rush of adrenaline and had realised what an amount of work he had loaded onto his shoulders.

According to him, it was worth the effort though. He had the goal of having everyone under the same roof within the following week, so that Maggie wouldn't have to get used to different surroundings.

After giving his friend a disbelieving look, Eliot hadn't bothered to comment on Hardison's spontaneous idea any further. Parker didn't know whether that was due to being too tired to even care, or secretly liking the idea of staying in the building rather than having to head back to his old place, or because now that he was a father, he was practising on keeping control over his temper a little more.

Parker herself loved the idea of moving into their new home. Briefly, she had already taken a look at it, just to be thrown out by Hardison and Sophie, who wanted to surprise the couple with their work. Neither of them was allowed to see the place until it was completely done and prepared for their arrival. Nate's apartment, more specifically his guest room, would be the only places they were allowed to go to.

She didn't really mind. Carefully, Parker placed a sleeping Maggie back into her little crib. Getting up at night to feed her had quickly turned into a routine for her and Eliot. With a smile, she threw a quick glance into the direction of their shared bed. It had been her turn to get up, and obviously he had managed to fall asleep again after being woken up by their crying little girl.

Both of them had the gift to be fully awake within a matter of seconds: it was an instinct they had learnt a long time ago. In the past, this instinct had been needed to survive. Now their daughter profited from it. Falling back asleep just as quickly was part of the game: they couldn't afford talking themselves into getting tired again if they didn't have much time for sleeping in the first place.

Quietly, Parker left the guest room then. Just as she had headed halfway through the living room though, she froze in place as she realised she wasn't alone. With her instincts kicking in immediately, she needed a second to recognize Sophie, who stood in front of an open fridge.

"Sophie?" she asked surprised, slowly stepping closer. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" She paused. "Did Maggie wake you up?"

"Oh, no." Shaking her head, Sophie closed the fridge again, presenting a bottle of milk. "I couldn't really sleep, so I thought I'd help myself along a little. Warm milk always works."

Parker nodded. "Why can't you sleep?" she asked.

Sophie hesitated. "I think I'm just still...a little overwhelmed. I mean, there's a baby around now. She's such a sweetheart."

Her voice trailed off. Joining Sophie in the kitchen now, Parker could see a familiar expression in her friend's eyes. Since Maggie's birth, she had seen it a couple of times already. It always appeared when she had to give the baby away to her parents again.

"You like her a lot, don't you?" she wanted to know.

"Of course. All of us do," Sophie stated with the hint of a smile. "Why are you up though?"

"Just fed her and am a little thirsty myself," she answered quickly, noticing very well that her friend was trying to change the topic. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had understood Sophie's behaviour right. "You...um...well, you know, you can hold her and play with her as often as you like."

"Parker," she started. "I didn't mean..."

"I thought we agreed to be honest to each other," Parker interrupted her. "You don't seem so happy when you have to give her away again. But you know, we're all part of the same family, right? You can come and see her as often as you like, especially now that we're all living in the same house thanks to Hardison."

"That's nice of you," Sophie said. "But...she's yours and Eliot's daughter. I think you want to have her around yourselves the most."

"Ah, please!" Parker rolled her eyes. "If you want to give her a hug here and there, no one will mind!" She shook her head at Sophie, relieved to see her smile. She would never understand why people had to be so complicated at times. Instead of simply asking for what they wanted, they would dance around the topic and look upset.

"How are you feeling though?" Sophie asked then. "Better? I mean, it was a very exhausting delivery, and Maggie's already keeping the both of you pretty busy."

"I don't really mind." Parker shrugged. "Still feels pretty odd of course. I mean, she's been in my belly, and suddenly she's here. Apart from that..." She shuddered. "I'm still aching. Everywhere. Especially...down there, you know?" She shrugged. "But like I said, I don't mind. I'm just glad she's here now."

"I can imagine." She nodded slowly. "You did an amazing job, you know that? You stayed so calm, unlike the rest of us. And you were so strong. You can be really proud of that."

"Especially because I managed to boss you around even then, right?" Parker winked at her. She couldn't help but blush though. It wasn't the first time that she was praised for her behaviour during giving birth to Maggie. She had been close to panicking at first, but then had completely gotten in control over the situation again.

"I just wanted to help her," she said then. "She needed me. It's amazing what determination can make you capable of."

"And love," Sophie added.

It was Parker's turn to nod. In silence, she watched Sophie as her friend filled a little pot with milk and placed it on the stove. And love. Indeed.

"You know what's crazy?" she asked then. "How much I've changed during the last few years. Never expected that at all."

"That means?" Sophie asked, looking up from what she was doing.

Parker shrugged. She wanted to voice her thoughts, especially as the woman in front of her was her best friend. But translating thoughts and feelings into words was still something she struggled with, especially if said thoughts and feelings were so important to her. Would she make sense, or just confuse her conversation partner?

"Well," she started then. "You know, before I met you guys...I was used to being alone. I mean, I've always been alone. Never really could count on anyone, so I thought the best thing to do would be staying on my own. I didn't understand people, and I didn't really like them either. But then you guys showed up, and I learnt that there are in fact people who are nice, and who you can trust in. I learnt to interact with you, to understand you and care for you. Better and better with every year. And now..." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts and bringing up the courage to continue. Sophie waited patiently for her.

"See, in that guest room down the hallway are the two people I love more than anything else in the world," she said then, speaking faster to get the words out before she didn't dare to say them anymore. "I love them more than anything I ever stole, even more than my money. I love all of you guys. I was...always afraid of feeling that way. I thought it'd make me feel weak. You remember how we talked about that? How I didn't like the idea of loving someone?" At Sophie's nod, she added, "I don't think it's making you weak anymore. Not at all. I think it makes you strong instead. Really strong. See...I'd do everything for them. I'd go and kill for them if I had to. I don't think I've ever felt stronger before, to be quite honest." She released a nervous chuckle. "Crazy, huh?"

"No." Sophie shook her head, the hint of tears in her eyes. She was smiling though. "I'm so proud of you, Parker. You've learnt so much during the last couple of years. I always thought I had to teach you somehow. Had to teach you how to behave, how to interact with people. But in fact, you learnt the really important things all by yourself."

Once again, Parker felt herself blushing. "It's nice of you to say that," she admitted.

"It's just the truth," Sophie said.

Parker smiled back at her. Yawning then, she said, "I think I'll go back to bed now though, catch some more sleep before Maggie wakes up again. It's Eliot's turn then, but I'll hear her anyway."

"Sleep well," Sophie said. She hesitated before she added, "And...thanks for the offer. From earlier."

Parker offered another smile in return. Now really feeling sleepy, she headed back into the guest room. Quietly, she climbed into the bed. Two arms immediately wrapped around her then, and a tiny laughter escaped her.

"I thought you were asleep," she whispered.

"Just come here already," Eliot whispered back. Chuckling once again, Parker allowed him to pull her into a tight embrace. With a sigh, she made herself comfortable, looking forward to another few hours of sleep until Maggie would demand their attention again.

* * *

It was still dark outside and according to what he could see, it had started to snow again. Eliot couldn't have cared less though. Nate's apartment was warm, the single lamp he had switched on was offering just enough light to keep him awake.

Yawning lightly, he glanced down at the baby he was holding in his arms. Falling back asleep obviously still was the furthest from Maggie's mind right now. With huge eyes, she was staring up at him, watching every of his movements, every gesture.

As good as she could of course, at this young age. The fact that the little one refused to go back to sleep since he had fed her a couple of minutes ago was the main reason why he had headed into the living room, not wanting to wake Parker up again. Apart from that, every moment in which he could spend some time alone with his newborn daughter, not being interrupted by one or more of the other team members, was always welcome.

Winning the staying-awake contest would be rather difficult, especially as he was relaxing more and more while sitting on the couch, holding the little girl in his arms. It never failed to amaze him how much simply watching the little one could already make him feel so calm and comfortable. His and Parker's baby girl.

He could repeat this fact over and over again: it would never stop creating this exciting sensation in the pit of his stomach. Their baby girl had arrived. They were parents now.

Finally. He refused to remember the actual delivery. During the last couple of months, he had read as much about this topic as possible to be prepared, and yet had felt like he hadn't been prepared at all. So many times, he had been close to losing control over himself, as fear had threatened to overwhelm him. He had been honest when admitting that he had never been so scared before, and would never forget the amazing relief he had felt afterwards.

A lot had changed since this event a few days ago. Parker had agreed to marry Eliot, and they would move across the hallway into one of the empty apartments. A couple of years ago, he couldn't have imagined himself in such a role: in love, soon to be married, father of a little daughter, part of a family. But things had changed, and he didn't want them any other way.

"You're awake early," a voice behind him said then.

"Could say the same about you, Nate," Eliot answered, briefly looking up as the man joined him in the living room. With a light sigh, Nate claimed the empty seat next to him.

"You look a little sleepy," he said then. "Wasn't it you who said that a person doesn't need more than ninety minutes of sleep?"

Playfully rolling his eyes in response, Eliot shook his head. He had expected this comment would come up again somewhere along the line. "I can handle sleeping only ninety minutes a day," he answered. "Only if needed though."

He looked up to meet Nate's eyes, just to realise that his friend's full attention was focused on the newborn now. Raising an eyebrow, he studied the other man. Everyone had developed their own behaviour around the little baby girl. Hardison would usually start cooing and smiling all over his face. Sophie would forget everything else around her. Nate was different. He would hold her in silence, would watch her with an expression that made him appear to be miles away with his thoughts, until he would quickly hand her back over to her parents. At the beginning, Eliot had wondered if the man just felt awkward with holding Maggie. By now, he had a different theory though.

"You'd like to hold her for a bit?" he asked.

"Oh, no," Nate answered quickly. "I think she's about to fall asleep."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Eliot replied with a quick glance at his daughter. "Come on."

Nate hesitated for another moment, before he accepted Maggie. Carefully and expertly, he arranged the indeed sleepy baby in his arms. For a brief moment, he seemed to have forgotten everything else in the room again. Shaking his head then, he cleared his mind and forced himself back to the present.

"What hurts more?" Eliot wanted to know. "Holding her or staying away from her?" At Nate's stern look he added, "What? For how many years do I know you now? We could always tell each other straight to the face what we were thinking, right? Don't you think I know that it pains you to see us with a baby? That we have what you also had once?"

"That's my problem," Nate stated.

"Really?" Eliot asked back. "I don't think so. I think by now, we agree that we're some kind of weird family, right?" He sighed. "Everyone knows you never managed to get over this. Which is more than understandable. Seeing her now...it reminds you of Sam, right? She's constantly reminding you of what you had."

"And your point is?" Nate asked back.

"Like I said, we're a family," Eliot replied. "She might not be your kid, and...of course no one can ever replace Sam. We all know that. No one can change the past after all. But..." He nodded his head at the sleepy baby girl. "She's part of your family, too, Nate. Like I said, she can't replace him, but...well, you can still do a lot of what you wanted to do with your son. I mean, you're her Uncle Nate, and you have to balance out all that crazy stuff Uncle Alec is going to show to her."

His voice trailed off as he watched the older man in silence again. Such conversations were tough, and finding the right words was even harder. Much to his relief, a tiny smile lit Nate's face though. "Is he still working on those earbuds for her?" he wanted to know.

"Not if he knows what's good for him," Eliot answered, mentally rolling his eyes at the hacker. If he ever found out that he was actually going to use those baby earbuds, Hardison better ran fast and far away.

Nate nodded slowly. It took him another couple of moments until he spoke up again. "Having a baby in the house really makes me think of Sam quite a lot," he admitted then. "When I'm holding her though...it's getting easier somehow."

"Then why did you keep on giving her back immediately, and started to avoid her?" Eliot wanted to know.

"I think I just didn't want to get too attached to her," Nate said. "To rely on her too much. She's not my child after all."

"So what?" Eliot shrugged. "Parker and I are going to move in next door. Maggie's going to be here pretty much every day. What's the problem with getting attached to her? With her meaning so much to you? She's part of your family, even if we are her parents."

"And you think Parker agrees with you on that point of view?" Nate asked back.

"Of course."

Nate offered a true, little smile in response this time. His attention turned back to Maggie. Then, wordlessly, he got off the couch, gently rocking the baby in his arms as he slowly made his way through the living room with her. With a satisfied smile of his own, Eliot watched the scene. He couldn't deny handing the baby over to anyone else but Parker was in fact a strange feeling. He was getting used to carrying Maggie around, to feeling how the infant would snuggle into him right before falling asleep. Parenthood. It was a fascinating experience.

Soft footsteps revealed that someone else had just woken up and joined them in the living room. A second later, a soft thud revealed Parker had joined him on the couch. Eliot suppressed a laughter at the sight: she looked sleepy, and had once again chosen to wear a mix of his and her own clothes.

"Why are you up already if you're still tired?" he asked her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders so she could lean into him.

"It's nicer here," she simply stated. Throwing a quick glance over her shoulder, she added, "Does Nate actually look happy?"

"It seems like that," he answered.

She smiled. "Good for him. He deserves to be happy, too."

Eliot nodded in agreement. He allowed Parker to make herself comfortable on the couch before he pulled her closer again. A smile lit his face as he could hear the familiar noises of Hardison working on their apartment next door then.


End file.
